Zarif Backgammon

A folding walnut case on a tea house table, ivory checkers on your side and dark ones across. The dice clatter on the felt, the regular opposite you counts the pips out loud, and nobody leaves after a single game.

Backgammon (tavla) against a computer opponent with three levels. Play a match to 1, 3 or 5 points; a gammon counts 2 and a backgammon 3.

Each side has 15 checkers and moves them round the board in opposite directions, towards its own home board next to the tray; you play the ivory checkers. Roll the dice, then move one checker by each number, or one checker by both. Doubles are played four times. Tap a checker to see where it can go and tap a lit point, or drag it there; Undo takes back moves until you press Done. A checker may not land on a point held by two or more of the opponent's checkers; landing on a single one hits it and sends it to the bar, and a checker on the bar has to come back in on the opponent's home board before anything else moves. You must play both dice when you can, and the larger one when only one fits. Once all 15 are in your home board you bear them off; the first side to bear off every checker wins the game. The loser pays 1 point, 2 for a gammon (none of their checkers borne off) and 3 for a backgammon (one still on the bar or in the winner's home board). First to the chosen points wins the match. Matches are played without the doubling cube.