Georgian Domino rules

The game uses a 28-tile set — from 0-0 to 6-6. Each player gets 7 tiles; the rest stay in the boneyard.

Whoever holds the highest double starts the first hand. After that, the winner of the previous hand starts.

A tile is played on an open end if one of its sides matches the number on that end. If a tile fits in several places, the player chooses where.

The first double played becomes the stavka. It is laid crosswise and opens in all four directions. The other doubles are ordinary tiles and open no extra directions.

There is only ever one stavka in a hand. The two extra directions start right from the stavka — the first tile physically touches it.

After every move, the open ends are added up. If the total is a multiple of five, the player scores those points: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or 35.

An open end of the stavka counts in full (both halves) until a tile is played on it.

If a player has no tile to play, they draw from the boneyard and keep drawing until they find one they can play.

The last 2 tiles always stay in the boneyard. These tiles can't be drawn, aren't shown and take no further part in the game.

When a player plays their last tile, the hand ends. They score the total left in the opponent's hand, rounded to the nearest multiple of five.

Riba is when the board is truly blocked: no remaining tile can be played on any open end.

If the matching double is in a player's hand and can legally be played, it must be played before riba is called. A double left in the protected boneyard does not stop riba.

The winner is whoever has fewer points left in hand. The winner scores the loser's total, rounded up to the next multiple of five. If the total is already a multiple of five, it stays as it is.

If both have the same points left — it's a draw: nobody scores and the match goes on.

The match goes on until one of the players reaches the target score: 75, 175, 255 or 355.