Long Narde — Official Rules

Long narde is the Russian / Eastern variant of backgammon. Both sides start with all 15 checkers stacked on a single starting point (the «head»), move counter-clockwise only, never hit each other, and score with three prize tiers — normal, mars, and koks. This is the pillar article for our long-narde cluster: rules, board geometry, scoring, and where to go next for strategy.

This is the guide to long narde. Short backgammon has its own rules and its own article: backgammon — official rules.

How to play long narde: step by step

If you want the short answer to «how do you play narde», here is a whole game step by step. Each step is then covered in detail further down the page, with real board positions.

  1. Set up the checkers. All 15 of a player's checkers stand on a single point — the head: point 24 for White, point 12 for Black.
  2. Decide who moves first. Each player rolls one die; the higher number starts and plays both dice at once. On a tie, re-roll.
  3. Move counter-clockwise. Each die value is a separate move of one checker, and doubles play four times. Only one checker may leave the head per turn (exception: the first move of the game on 3-3, 4-4 or 6-6).
  4. Occupy points instead of hitting. You may not land on a point held by an opposing checker, and you cannot hit it either — opponents are held back with blocks and tempo.
  5. Never build 6 in a row. A continuous block of six of your own points is forbidden while the opponent has no checker left ahead of that block.
  6. Bring all 15 checkers home. White's home is points 1–6, Black's is 13–18. Bear-off starts only once all 15 checkers are in the home board.
  7. Bear off all 15 checkers. Each die number bears off from the matching point of your home. If the rolled number is higher than the highest occupied point, it bears off the farthest checker.
  8. Score the result. Whoever bears off all 15 first wins the game: 1 point for a normal win, 2 for a mars, 3 for a koks. In a match the result is multiplied by the current cube value.

Long narde rules in brief

The same rules as a cheat sheet — worth keeping in view for your first few games:

  • How many checkers: 15 per player, 30 on the board; the board itself has 24 points.
  • Start: all 15 of your checkers stand on the head — point 24 for White, point 12 for Black.
  • Direction: counter-clockwise only; the two players never cross paths.
  • A turn: two dice — two moves, doubles — four; one checker leaves the head per turn (exception: the first move of the game on 3-3, 4-4 or 6-6).
  • Occupying points: any number of your own checkers may share a point, not a single opposing one may; long narde has no hits and no bar.
  • Blocking: six of your points in a row are forbidden while no opposing checker is left ahead of the block.
  • Bear-off: begins only once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board.
  • Scoring: normal win — 1 point, mars — 2, koks — 3; in a match everything is multiplied by the cube value.

What is the object of the game?

Each player has 15 checkers of one colour. Move all 15 around the board counter-clockwise and then bear them off from the home board. The first player to bear off all 15 wins. Depending on whether the opponent has borne off any checkers and where their remaining ones are, the win is worth 1, 2, or 3 points.

Starting position: where do the checkers stand?

Long narde's starting position is symmetric and very compact: all 15 of a player's checkers stand on a single point, called the head. White's head is on point 24, Black's on point 12. There are no stacks scattered across the board as in short backgammon.

Long narde board with the starting position: all 15 white checkers stacked on point 24 (the head), all 15 black on point 12 — no scattered stacks as in short backgammon.
Long-narde starting position: 15 white checkers on point 24, 15 black on point 12.

Before the game, players roll one die each — the higher number plays first using both dice. Re-roll on a tie.

Movement: how do the checkers move?

Each turn produces two independent moves — each die value is a separate step for one of your checkers. Doubles (a pair) play four times. Movement is counter-clockwise only: White from 24 toward 1, Black from 12 toward 1 (going round through 11, 10, ..., 13, 12).

A checker may not stop on a point with at least one opposing checker. Stacking your own is unlimited.

The head rule: how many checkers may leave the head per turn?

The head rule: only one checker may leave the head per turn. This is a key difference from short backgammon — there's no «head» as such, and checkers spread freely. In long narde, opening turns often consist of «one off the head» plus «advance one that left earlier».

Long narde board a few moves into the game, illustrating the head rule: each side has managed to bring only one or two checkers off the head, the rest still wait on the starting point.
Real expert opening position: each side has taken 1–2 off the head, 13 still on the start.

Exception: on the first move of the game with rolls 3-3, 4-4, or 6-6, you may take two checkers off the head. The historical reason — these three doubles allow both pairs to pass the opponent's starting quarter without blocking each other.

Are there hits or a bar in long narde?

In long narde there are no hits. If the opponent occupies a point, that point is theirs — you can't displace them. There's also no bar. Defense is purely through tempo (out-pip-counting the opponent) and through blocks (closing key points).

Why can't you build 6 points in a row?

The most distinctive long-narde law: you may not build a continuous block of 6 of your points if the opponent has no checkers ahead of that block. Otherwise the position would become an unbreakable bridge — the opponent couldn't move a single checker.

Long narde board illustrating the six-in-a-row ban: white holds a legal five-point prime on points 2–6; a sixth blocking point would be allowed only after a black checker passes the block.
A 5-point prime on 2–6 (white). The sixth point is allowed only if at least one black checker has already passed the block zone.

Formalised in the Russian Ministry of Sports order №347 of 30.04.2025. Practically: a 5-point block is fine; the sixth requires an opposing checker already past it.

Tactical depth on blocking — when to go for a 5-prime, where to slot, when to force the race — lives in the spoke «Long narde strategy».

What is the home board and how do you bear off?

When all 15 of your checkers are in your home (last quarter), bear-off begins. White's home is points 1–6; Black's is 13–18.

Long narde board in the bear-off phase: both sides have brought every checker into their home boards and each has already borne off seven.
Final phase — both sides in their homes, bearing off. White has borne off 7; Black 7.
  • Die N bears off a checker from point N in your home.
  • If point N is empty, you may use the die to advance within the home.
  • If the rolled number is greater than the highest occupied point, the die bears off the farthest checker.
  • You may bear off only when all 15 are in the home.

How are points scored: normal, mars, koks?

  • Normal win = 1 point: you bore off all 15, opponent bore off ≥1.
  • Mars = 2 points: you bore off all 15, opponent bore off zero.
  • Koks = 3 points: you bore off all 15, opponent bore off zero AND has at least one checker in your starting quarter or on the head.
Long narde board one move before a mars (2 points): white bears off the last of 15 checkers while black has not borne off a single one — all 15 black checkers still sit in black's home.
Real mars position from DB: white borne off 14 of 15, black still in own home (13–15).
Long narde board one move before a koks (3 points): white bears off the last checker while black has borne off none and still has a checker stuck in the starting quarter on point 7.
Real koks position: white has 14 borne off, black still has a checker in the starting quarter (point 7) — bearing off the last white = koks ×3.

When to play for mars/koks vs forcing the normal win — see «Mars and koks: scoring deep dive».

How does the doubling cube work in long narde?

In matches longer than one game, the doubling cube is used. Starts at 1, doubles to 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64. The cube owner may offer to double before their roll; the opponent accepts (taking ownership) or refuses (conceding the current stake before the double). Match-to-1 doesn't use the cube.

Cube rules are formalised in the Russian Ministry of Sports order №347 of 30.04.2025 (Article 23). Crawford game, post-Crawford, the 64-cap — all standard. Cube strategy is covered in «How the Doubling Cube Works»; the math is shared between variants.

Long narde for beginners: where do you start?

The rules of long narde take an evening to learn, yet the first games are almost never lost to a forgotten rule — they are lost to three habits. This is the order in which a beginner is best off fixing them:

  1. Take a checker off the head every turn. While 13–14 checkers are still stacked on the start, you barely have a choice of moves, and the opponent quietly takes the points you needed.
  2. Build points side by side, not one at a time. Two or three adjacent points hold the opponent back far better than lone checkers pushed far ahead — you can never hit those checkers in long narde anyway, but you can lock them in.
  3. Count pips. The difference in remaining steps tells you whether you are playing for a block or for a race; without it, choosing a move is guesswork.

The next thing worth learning is how the bigger prizes are scored — mars and koks — and how long narde differs from the backgammon many readers already know: long narde vs short backgammon. Once the rules stop taking up attention, move on to how to win at long narde and to reviewing your own games — how to analyze a long-narde game.

How do you play the AI and analyze your games?

Nardex trains separate phase-segmented networks for long narde (blocking / race / X-escaped / O-escaped). This is more accurate than a single one-size-fits-all network. Play the bot at «Long narde with AI»; in replay mode the bot highlights best-move arrows and shows per-move equity.

Where to go next

FAQ

How many checkers are there in narde?
Long narde is played with 15 checkers per player, 30 on the board. The board has 24 points, and at the start of the game all 15 of your checkers sit on a single point — the head.
How do you move in long narde?
A roll of two dice gives two independent moves: each die value is a separate step for one of your checkers, and doubles are played four times. Checkers travel counter-clockwise only, and just one checker may leave the head per turn (exception: the first move of the game on 3-3, 4-4 or 6-6).
Can two checkers share the same point?
Your own — yes, any number of your checkers may stand on one point. Landing on a point that holds even one opposing checker is impossible, though: hitting does not exist in long narde.
How many checkers can I take off the head per turn?
Only one. Exception: on the first move of the game with rolls 3-3, 4-4, or 6-6, you may take two off the head (because both dice provide steps where the checkers don't block each other at the opponent's starting points).
How should a beginner play long narde?
Start with three habits: take one checker off the head every turn so your position does not stay glued to the start; build points next to each other, because a short block holds the opponent better than lone checkers far ahead; and keep an eye on the pip count to know whether you are playing for a block or for a race. There are no hits in long narde, so a mistake costs tempo rather than a checker — which makes it easy to miss.
What's the difference between long narde and short backgammon?
Long narde has one starting head (vs four stacks in backgammon), unidirectional movement (no path crossing), no hits, no bar, and mars/koks scoring (vs gammon/backgammon). See the cross-cluster comparison for details.
Can I hit an opponent's checker like in backgammon?
No. Hits and the bar don't exist. If a point has even one opposing checker, you can't land there. Defense is purely through blocks and tempo.
Why can't I build a 6-point prime?
The no-6-in-a-row rule (formalised by the Russian Ministry of Sports order №347 of 30.04.2025) prevents a positional dead-end. If at least one of the opponent's checkers has already passed your would-be 6-block, the sixth point is allowed.
What counts as mars and koks?
Mars — the opponent has borne off zero checkers when you win (×2 points). Koks — the opponent has borne off none AND has at least one checker still in your starting quarter or on the head (×3 points). The cube multiplies the result.
Is the doubling cube used in long narde?
Yes, in matches of 3 games or more. Match-to-1 does not use the cube. The cube rules are formalised in the Russian Ministry of Sports order №347 of 30.04.2025 (Article 23).
Which is easier for a beginner — short or long?
Long narde is usually easier to pick up because there are no hits or bar. Short backgammon shows tactical effects faster (the hit gives immediate feedback). Most experienced players know both.
Play Long Narde Open Backgammon rules