Guides

Tavli Guides

Everything you need to learn, improve, and win more often. From first steps to advanced strategy.

Where to Start

If you've never played tavli before, start with the beginner guide: it explains the basics (checkers, dice, movement, bearing off) in a 6-minute read. Once you feel the flow, read the rules for whichever variant interests you and get on the board. Most people start with Portes — it is the same game as international backgammon, so anything you already know carries over. Plakoto asks for a different kind of thinking, since you don't hit the opponent's checkers but pin them where they stand until you decide to move on. Fevga is a pure race with no contact at all. It looks like the calmest of the three, until you find yourself locked behind a well-built wall.

Looking for a specific variant? The Portes tavli, Plakoto tavli and Fevga tavli pages have the full rules, strategy, FAQ, and the board itself, ready to play.

All Guides

Beginner

How to Play Tavli — Portes, Plakoto & Fevga

How many checkers does tavli have? How is the board set up? Learn the rules of Portes, Plakoto and Fevga with a beginner-friendly guide.

12 min read Beginner

Tavli Board Setup: Portes, Plakoto & Fevga

Portes setup: 2 checkers on point 24, 5 on 13, 3 on 8 and 5 on 6. See diagrams of the starting position for all three tavli variants.

5 min read Beginner

Tavli Online with a Friend — Play Together Free

Play tavli online with a friend in 30 seconds: create a room, send the link, and play live — or take turns on the same device. No registration.

4 min read Beginner

Play Anyone at Tavli Online — Free

Play tavli online against anyone: tap Play Anyone, we find an opponent, and you play first to 3. No registration, no link to send.

3 min read Rules

Portes Tavli Rules: Setup, Hitting, Bearing Off

All the rules of Portes (Greek backgammon): setup, hitting and the bar, forced moves, gammon and bearing off — with real board diagrams.

11 min read Strategy

Portes Strategy — Opening, Mid-Game & Endgame

Portes backgammon strategy guide: building points, anchors, primes, pip count, racing decisions, and bearing-off technique for beginners and intermediates.

14 min read Rules

Plakoto Rules — Greek Pinning Backgammon

How to play Plakoto: starting position, pinning, the closed gate, bearing off, and key differences from Portes.

11 min read Strategy

Plakoto Strategy — Pinning & the Mother Point

Plakoto tavli strategy guide: when a pin is worth it, how to guard your mother point, when to release, and how to use doubles to win more often.

12 min read Rules

Fevga Tavli — Rules, Setup & Strategy

Complete Fevga tavli guide: board setup, first-checker rule, primes, the forbidden prime rule, and strategies to win.

13 min read Strategy

Fevga Strategy — Primes, Racing & Tempo

Fevga tavli strategy guide: the first checker, which points to claim, how to build a prime, when to race, and the mistakes that give games away.

11 min read Reference

Tavli Glossary — All Game Terms Explained

Complete tavli glossary: point, bar, gammon, backgammon, pin, prime, pip count, anchor, bearing off, doubles, blot and dozens more terms explained simply.

10 min read Rules

Assodyo Tavli — Rules & How to Play

What is assodyo in tavli? Learn the assodyo rule, when it applies, which variants use it, and how it affects scoring.

4 min read

Tips Before You Read

  • Rules first, strategy second. Strategy makes no sense without the rules underneath it.
  • Try what you read in a real game. Every guide has a "Start a game" button that drops you straight onto the board.
  • If you play with friends and keep hearing terms you don't know (point, bar, mars, pin), the glossary covers exactly that.
  • No need to read everything. Pick the guide that fixes whatever keeps costing you games.

Or Jump Straight to the Board

The fastest way to learn tavli is to play it. Every variant opens in the browser in a few seconds, with no registration and no download.

  • Portes tavli — The classic tavli variant — Greek backgammon as played in every kafeneio.
  • Plakoto tavli — Pin your opponent's checkers. They can't move until you let them go.
  • Fevga tavli — No hitting. All checkers move in the same direction.