How to play Tawula.
Tawula is an old tables game, described in English since 1892. You begin with two checkers on the board and thirteen waiting, both sides run the same way, and those two stay put until everyone else is in.
Tawula at a glance
- Checkers
- 15 a side
- Start, from your side
- 2 on the 24-point, 13 waiting off the board
- Direction
- Same: both sides run the same way round, you from 24 down to 1
- Doubling cube
- No
- Hitting or pinning
- A lone checker that gets hit goes to the bar
- Scoring
- 1 point a game
Thirteen wait outside and enter one by one.
A waiting checker enters on the point of your starting table that matches the die. It can't enter on a point with one of your own checkers, so your first arrivals get in the way of your later ones. You have to keep moving them along to make room.
The two on your start can't move until the last of the thirteen has entered. And all along your first half of the track you may keep only one checker to a point. The only exceptions are your start and your head, the last point of that half, where you may pile up as many as you like.
Tawula rules, in order of play
Set up. Two of yours on the corner point, two of your opponent's in the diagonally opposite corner, thirteen each waiting off the board.
Open. Each side rolls one die, and the higher die plays both numbers as its first turn. A tie rolls again. There is no second roll, which sets Tawula apart from the other same-direction game here.
Enter. A die enters a waiting checker on that point of your starting table, never onto your own checker or onto a point your opponent has made. You may use the other die to enter another or to move one already in. Doubles play four times.
Keep to one a point. On the first half of your track you may have only one checker to a point, apart from the start and the head.
Hit. Landing on a lone checker sends it to the bar, and it re-enters in your starting table before anything else moves. A hit in your opponent's starting table is refused if it would leave that table closed.
Bear off. Once all fifteen are in your last table, you bear them off. The first side with none left wins 1 point.
We left capote out. The old accounts give a sevenfold win called capote, but they describe it differently and bkgm.com gives a position without saying when it fires, so here every game is worth 1 point.
One more reading of ours: if both sides are shut out for good, the game is void. No source covers that case.
Tawula strategy
A few tips, not rules. We know of nobody playing Tawula today to learn from, so these only follow from the rules.
- Keep entering. Your start pair can't move and bearing off can't begin until all thirteen are in, so a slow entry costs you the whole game.
- Keep points in your starting table free. A point you leave is one that next turn's dice can use to enter.
- Use your head. It is the one point on the first half where you can pile up, so it's a safe place to gather checkers on their way out.
- A hit hurts more than in backgammon. The checker has to re-enter into a table your own checkers may be blocking.
Where Tawula comes from
According to English Wikipedia and bkgm.com, Tawula was played in Asia Minor and Egypt. Edward Falkener described it in English as Turkish backgammon in 1892, and said he had played it in 1845. Murray (1951) and Bell (1988) give similar accounts.
The name Turkish backgammon misleads. Both sides move the same way, and we found no source showing it played today. If you want the game Turks play now, that's Tavla.
Tawula questions
What is Tawula?
A historical tables game from Asia Minor and Egypt, sometimes called Turkish backgammon. You enter thirteen of your fifteen checkers during play, and both sides move the same way.
Is Tawula the same as Tavla?
No. Tavla is the Turkish game played today, close to backgammon. Tawula is the older same-direction game, whatever the similar name suggests.
Why can't I enter a checker in Tawula?
You can't enter on a point that already holds one of your own checkers, or one your opponent has made. Move a checker along to clear the point.
When can the two start checkers move?
Only after all thirteen waiting checkers have entered. The last entry frees them in the same turn.
Can I play Tawula online for free?
Yes. Play Tawula now starts a game against a bot at once, with no signup. You can also play a bot or with a friend from the door and set the match length there.
Is Tawula rated here?
No. It is unrated and played without a stake, with no analysis afterwards, because GNU Backgammon can't read this game. It isn't in the rated queue, at tables or in tournaments.
Other games to try
- Tavla is the Turkish game people play today.
- Fevga shares the same-direction track, with no hits.
- Acey-Deucey also enters from off the board.