In nardi the dice decide a lot, but not everything. The same roll often has several legal moves, and an experienced player always picks the one that leaves less risk and more chances for the rolls to come. Below are the basic principles of short nardi, taking into account the Georgian rules as they are played on tamashebi.cc. We number the points from your side: 1 to 6 is your home, 7 to 12 your yard, 13 to 18 your opponent's yard, 19 to 24 their home. At the start you have two checkers on 24, five on 13, three on 8 and five on 6.
Opening moves for common rolls
- 3-1: 8 to 5 and 6 to 5. Point 5 is the most valuable point in your home, which makes this one of the best opening rolls.
- 4-2: 8 to 4 and 6 to 4, closing point 4 in your home.
- 6-1: 13 to 7 and 8 to 7. Point 7, together with points 6 and 8, forms a three-point block.
- 5-3: 8 to 3 and 6 to 3, closing point 3.
- 6-5: one back checker from 24 to 13, next to your own checkers. The back checker has run to safety.
- 6-4: often the back checker is run from 24 to 14, or 24 to 18 and 13 to 9 are played.
- 6-3 and 6-2: one back checker from 24 to 18, and with the other die a checker comes down from 13 into your yard.
- 5-4, 5-2, 4-3, 3-2: two checkers from 13 into your yard, where they will help you close new points on later turns.
- 4-1, 5-1, 2-1: a common choice is to bring one checker down from 13 and move a back checker one step (24 to 23), to give the back checkers more room.
- Doubles never come on the first move, but on later ones: 6-6, two checkers from 24 to 18 and two from 13 to 7; 5-5, two checkers from 13 to 3; 3-3, two checkers from 8 to 5 and two from 6 to 3; 1-1, two checkers from 8 to 7 and two from 6 to 5.
Closing points and building a block
A point closed with two checkers does two things: your checkers are safe there, and your opponent's checkers cannot land there. The most valuable is point 5 of your home, then points 4 and 7, which get in the way of your opponent's back checkers the most. Several closed points in a row make a block: three or four points are already a serious obstacle, and six in a row will not let an opposing checker behind them get past at all until you break the block yourself. Closed points in your home are worth having for one more reason: they make it harder for a hit checker to enter. If you have k points closed in your home, your opponent fails to enter from the bar on k×k of the 36 rolls. With one closed point that is 1 roll in 36, with three it is 9, with five it is 25, and with six entering is impossible.
When to hit and when to stay safe
- Two dice have 36 possible combinations. A given number shows on at least one die in 11 of the 36 rolls, so a lone checker one to six points away is under direct threat of being hit roughly every third roll, and even more often once combinations are counted.
- A checker more than seven points away can only be hit with the sum of both dice or with a double, which is rarer. If you have to leave a lone checker, leave it far away.
- Hitting is almost always good when your opponent's checker is building their block in your home or yard, and when you yourself have a strong home, since the hit checker will struggle to get back in.
- Be careful when your opponent's home is strong: if you are hit, you may sit on the bar for several turns.
- Hitting two checkers in one move often decides the game, especially early on.
- If you are clearly ahead in the race, hitting and contact are an unnecessary risk: just head for home.
The own-home rule and what it means for strategy
On tamashebi.cc a checker that hits in its own home stays on that point until the end of the move (if there is no other way to play the die, it may move on). So the "hit and run" trick does not work inside your home: with 3-1, after hitting from 6 to 3, you cannot take the same checker on to point 2 with the one. Plan it this way instead: hit with one die, and with the other bring a different checker to the same point and close it. If that is not possible, think about whether leaving a lone checker in your home is worth it: your opponent's hit checker, entering from the bar, will hit it with the matching number, a se for a checker on point 3, a chari for one on point 4. The same rule limits your opponent too: when they hit your checker in their home, their checker stays there and is often left alone, which makes it your target when you enter from the bar.
The race and the "moves left" count
Once the checkers have passed each other and there is no more contact, nardi becomes a race: whoever bears off faster wins. On the site each player's panel shows "moves left" (darchenili svlebi): the total number of steps all their checkers still need before leaving the board (167 at the start). One roll, doubles included, gives a little over 8 steps on average, so the player whose turn it is enjoys roughly one roll's advantage. If you are ahead on this count, avoid new contact. If you are well behind, do not hurry your back checkers: a closed point in your opponent's home gives you the chance to hit a lone checker of theirs at the end.
Bearing off safely
- If your opponent has a checker on the bar or standing in your home, think about safety first and speed second: a lone checker is very costly while you are bearing off.
- Clear your home from the back, points 6 and 5 first, so that an even number remains and no single checker is exposed.
- Spread the checkers evenly in your home; empty points waste some numbers.
- When there is no contact any more, bear off as many checkers as you can with every die: moving inside your home only wastes time.
How to avoid mars and koks
In a losing game the fight for points goes on. Mars is two points and koks three, so once a win is out of sight, the main thing is to bear off one checker. Get your back checkers out of your opponent's home early, because a checker left in their home or on the bar means koks. Then bring your checkers home as fast as you can and place one or two of them on the deep points, so that at least one comes off on your very first bearing-off turn. In a long match, saving a single point often decides the whole match.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best opening roll in nardi?
- 3-1 is considered one of the best, because it closes point 5 of your home straight away. 4-2 and 6-1 are good too. Doubles never come on the first move.
- Should I always hit if I can?
- No. If you are ahead in the race or your opponent's home is strong, a hit can lose you more than it gains. Weigh what happens if you are hit back.
- What does "moves left" show?
- The total number of steps all your checkers still need before leaving the board. Comparing the two numbers shows who is leading the race.
- How likely is it that a checker cannot enter from the bar?
- Square the number of points your opponent has closed in their home, out of 36: with two closed points that is 4 rolls, with four it is 16. With all six closed, entering is impossible.
Nardi on tamashebi.cc is free to play. Some tables use Domino Coin, a virtual in-game coin: it is never money, cannot be bought or cashed out, and means nothing outside the site. The game is for fun and for skill. The site is available in Georgian, English, Russian and Turkish.
The games on Tamashebi.cc are played in a Georgian-language interface. They are free and use a virtual coin, never real money.