What is Long Nardy?
Long Nardy is the most popular form of backgammon in Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Each player starts with all fifteen checkers on one point, the head, in diagonally opposite corners of the board, and both sides move the same way round to their own home boards.
There is no hitting. A single checker holds a point, and the opponent can't land there. Only one checker may leave the head in each turn, so the army comes out slowly; the one exception is the very first roll of the game for each player: with 6-6, 4-4 or 3-3, two checkers may leave the head, because a single checker would run into the opponent's head.
You may build a wall of six points in a row only if at least one opposing checker is already past it, so no army can be trapped for good. The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins: two points, a mars, if the opponent has borne off none, one point otherwise.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Backgammon | Long Nardy |
|---|---|---|
| Starting position | Standard BackgammonFifteen checkers each: two on your 24-point, five on your 13-point, three on your 8-point and five on your 6-point. | Long NardyAll fifteen checkers on your head, your 24-point; the two heads are in diagonally opposite corners. |
| Direction | Standard BackgammonThe two sides move in opposite directions, each towards its own home board. | Long NardyBoth sides move the same way round the board, each crossing the opponent's starting quarter. |
| Hitting | Standard BackgammonLanding on a single opposing checker (a blot) hits it to the bar; two or more checkers make a point the opponent can't land on. | Long NardyNo hitting. A single checker holds a point, and the opponent can't land there. |
| Leaving the head | Standard BackgammonAny number of checkers may leave a point in one turn. | Long NardyOne checker per turn, except two on your first roll of the game if it is 6-6, 4-4 or 3-3. |
| Six points in a row | Standard BackgammonAllowed anywhere. | Long NardyAllowed only if at least one opposing checker is already past it. |
| Cube and scoring | Standard BackgammonOptional doubling cube; one point for a win, two for a gammon (the loser has borne off no checkers) and three for a backgammon (the loser also still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board). | Long NardyNo doubling cube. One point for a win, two (a mars) if the loser has borne off no checkers. |
History
Nardy takes its name from nard, the Persian name of the tables game. A Middle Persian text, The Explanation of Chess and the Invention of Nard, tells how the sage Wuzurgmihr invented nard at the court of Khosrow I in the 6th century as Persia's reply to the game of chess sent from India. The story is a legend, but it shows how old the game is in the region.
Today nardy is played everywhere from Moscow to Baku, Yerevan, Tbilisi and Tashkent, in parks, courtyards and family homes. Long Nardy is the main form; Short Nardy, which is close to standard backgammon, is the other. Clubs and tournaments are common, especially in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia.