Not every win in long narde is worth the same: a normal loss costs 1 point, a mars costs 2, and a koks costs a full 3. Understanding this system matters beyond bookkeeping — the prize tier directly shapes how you close out a game, and sometimes it's worth taking a risk to land or to avoid a mars or a koks.
What counts as a normal win?
In long narde a game ends when one player has borne off all 15 of their checkers (the process is called bear-off). If the opponent has by that moment also borne off at least one checker, the winner scores 1 point. That is a normal win — the most common outcome.
What are the starting quarters on the board?
Before turning to mars and koks it helps to understand which zones on the board are called starting quarters. The long-narde board is divided into four quarters of 6 points each:
- points 1–6 — the starting quarter of one of the players (his «head», that is the initial stack of 15 checkers, sits here);
- points 13–18 — the starting quarter of the other player (his «head» and stack of 15 checkers).
At the start of the game all 15 of a player's checkers stand on a single «head» point in his starting quarter. From there the checkers gradually leave the quarter and move toward the home board for bear-off. Understanding the starting quarter is critical: that is exactly what distinguishes mars from koks.
What is a mars?
Mars is a win worth 2 points. It is recorded when three conditions hold simultaneously:
- the winner has borne off all 15 of their checkers;
- the loser has not borne off a single one;
- all of the loser's checkers have left the starting quarter (1–6 or 13–18 depending on whose checkers they are).
In other words, the loser managed to push every checker off the starting head, but failed to bear any off.
What does a mars look like in a real position?
The illustration below is a real position from our database of expert
games (id ALr/A4AAAAAAAA). White has borne off 14 checkers, the last one is
waiting to move from point 12 — one more move and the mars is locked in. All 15 black
checkers are already pulled into the home board (points 22–24): they reached the bear-off
zone but did not manage to take any off. There is no checker left in Black's starting
quarter (points 1–6). Our network rates this position at win_m=1.0, win_k=0.0 — a guaranteed mars with no chance of a koks.
What is a koks?
Koks is the most valuable win in long narde: 3 points. The conditions:
- the winner has borne off all 15 of their checkers;
- the loser has borne off zero;
- at least one of the loser's checkers is still in their starting quarter (1–6 or 13–18).
A koks happens when the loser moved too slowly: by the time the winner has borne off all 15 checkers, at least one of the loser's checkers never even left the starting quarter.
What does a koks look like in a real position?
Below is a real position from the expert-game database (id ALx/oIIAAAAAAA).
White has borne off 14, the last one sits on point 12, ready for the final move. Black
has zero borne off, plus one checker stuck on point 6 — that is the starting quarter. A
few more «stragglers» of Black's are sitting in White's outer field (points 7–8), but
what matters is the presence of a checker inside 1–6. The network rates the position win_k=1.0 — a guaranteed koks.
Types of wins in narde: how do mars and koks differ from a normal win?
All three win types — normal, mars, and koks — mean that one side has fully completed the game (borne off all 15 checkers). The difference lies in the state of the loser:
| Win type | Loser borne off any? | Checkers in their starting quarter? | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | ≥ 1 borne off | doesn't matter | 1 |
| Mars | 0 borne off | all have left it | 2 |
| Koks | 0 borne off | ≥ 1 still inside | 3 |
Types of mars
The rules name a single mars — the 2-point win. When players ask about «types of mars» they mean the two tiers of a shut-out win described above: a mars (2 points), where every checker of the loser has already left the starting quarter, and a koks (3 points), where at least one checker is still sitting in it. Both tiers are multiplied by the doubling cube; neither can occur once the loser has borne off a single checker — that is a normal 1-point win.
How are points counted in a match?
The modern competitive format of long narde is a match to N points. Standard match lengths: 1, 3, 5, and 7. A game ends with one of the three win types and the winner adds the corresponding number of points to their match score. The first to reach N or more takes the match.
If the match uses a doubling cube, the win type is multiplied by the current cube value:
- normal win on cube 2 = 2 points;
- mars on cube 2 = 4 points;
- koks on cube 4 = 12 points (enough to close out a match-to-7 in a single game).
In single-game matches (match-to-1) the win type plays no practical role — any victory closes the match. From 3-point matches and longer, mars and koks change the tempo dramatically: a koks on cube 2 already produces 6 points and automatically wins match-to-5 and match-to-7.
Strategy: when should you play for the mars?
The difference between a normal win and a mars is one checker: if the losing side manages to bear off at least one, the game becomes a normal win. That creates an interesting tactical situation for both players:
- The winner in the bear-off endgame sometimes deliberately plays «slower» and keeps an extra checker in the home board to maximise the chance of a mars.
- The loser, conversely, rushes the last checkers home in order to bear off at least one — turning a potential mars into a normal game (saving 1 point).
- Decisions like these are exactly where an engine shines: Nardex shows the precise equity of every fork.
Frequently asked questions
- What types of wins are there in long narde?
- In long narde there are three types of win: a normal win worth 1 point, a mars worth 2 points, and a koks worth 3 points. A normal win is recorded when the loser has borne off at least one checker; a mars when they have borne off none but every checker has left the starting quarter; a koks when they have borne off none and at least one checker is still in the starting quarter. In a match with the doubling cube, all three are multiplied by the current cube value.
- What's the difference between mars and koks in long narde?
- In long narde, mars is a 2-point win, koks is a 3-point win. Both require that the loser has not borne off a single checker. The difference is where the loser's checkers ended up: in a mars they have all left the starting quarter, in a koks at least one is still in it.
- How many points does a mars award in long narde?
- In long narde, a mars awards the winner 2 points. If the match uses a doubling cube, that value is multiplied by the current cube: for example, on cube 2 a mars is worth 4 points.
- How many points does a koks award in long narde?
- In long narde, a koks awards the winner 3 points. It is the most valuable result in long narde — three times the value of a normal win and one and a half times the value of a mars. With the doubling cube on 2, a koks is worth 6 points.
- Can mars or koks happen in a long narde match-to-1?
- In long narde, in a match-to-1, any win closes the match, so the distinction between mars and koks loses practical meaning. From 3-point matches and longer, the prize tier determines how many games it takes to win the whole match.
- How do I avoid a koks in long narde when the game is lost?
- In long narde, if the game is clearly going against you, the priority is to evacuate every checker out of your starting quarter so you don't concede a koks. Ideally, bear off at least one checker — then the defeat is a normal 1-point loss rather than a mars or koks.
Ready to try mars and koks for yourself? Play against the AI or start a game against a live opponent right in the browser. Every game you play is automatically analysed — see exactly which moves cost you a match.
Source of rules: order №347 of the Russian Ministry of Sports of 30.04.2025, article 23 (long narde). See also our general long narde guide.