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Backgammon Articles
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Backgammon in Greece
Backgammon, or Tavli, has an important part in Greek culture ever since Ancient times. The sound of rolling dice is constantly heard in the streets of Greece, especially during the summer times, where the beaches, coffee shops, balconies and yards are filled with backgammon players and passerby spectators.
Playing backgammon in Greece has its own rituals: the "Let’s go masters!" opening proclamation, the glass of frappe (the Greek version of iced cappuccino/frappuccino or float), the order of the games – first backgammon, then gul bara, and eventually plakoto, which is ended by the latter winner's repeated call "Let’s go masters!".
Greek Backgammon Games
Tavli, Greek for backgammon, actually refers to the backgammon table/board itself. There are several games played on the tavli/backgammon board, traditionally one after another for a 3, 5, 7 points or an 11-points match. The use of the doubling cube as well as the triple score (backgammon) are not common in Greek backgammon games.
Backgammon, also known in Greece as Portes, is played according to standard backgammon rules. The only exception (besides the nonexistence of the doubling cube and the backgammon scoring) is that the winner of the opening roll (the player who rolled the higher die) has to reroll to make the first move.
Gul Bara is a Greek variation of backgammon, which gives the player who rolls a double an enormous advantage. The game opens with each player's 15 checkers are piled on their 1-point, opposing each other diagonally, and continues regularly, with both players moving their checkers around the board, counterclockwise. Yet, from the fourth roll and on, when a player rolls a double, he may play it twice (for example, if he rolled 4s – four times 4), and then continue playing the consecutive number as if its double has been rolled (four times 5 and then four times 6).
Plakoto begins with each player's checkers on the opponent's 1-point, and the object of the game is to move them around the board back to each player's home board (and then, to bear them off). Plakoto is played without hitting. Instead of hitting, the player can "pin" the opponent's single checker, by placing two of the player's checkers on a point, so the opponent remains trapped until the player's pinning checker/s are removed.
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