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3D online tavla

Pick up the leather cup, shake it and let go: the dice tumble across an inlaid walnut board. Classic Turkish backgammon with mars, staked tables and rated pairing. Play friends over voice and video, or the computer.

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By playing you accept the terms of use; see the privacy policy.

A 3D tavla board inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ivory and ebony checkers and a dice cup

How to play

  1. Throw: When it is your turn your cup glows. Pick it up, shake it as long as you like and let go: the dice land in your half of the board.
  2. Move: Drag a checker, or tap it and then a glowing point. A double tap plays it by the larger die; you can take steps back until your turn ends.
  3. Bear off and win: Once all your checkers are home, bear them off. The first to bear off all fifteen wins the game; if the other has none off, it's a mars.

Table options

OptionValues
MatchOne game, or to 3, 5 or 7 points
Time per turn20, 30, 45, 60 seconds, or no clock
StakeNone, or 500 – 50,000 play chips (5% house cut)
ComputerEasy, medium, hard

Rated pairing

Press "Find an opponent" to play a rated three-point match against someone close to your rating. Everyone starts at 1500; beating a stronger player earns more. For the rules in full, read how to play tavla.

Like strategy? Rated chess is here too.

Why Boombala?

Frequently asked questions

Are the dice really random?

Yes. Every roll is made on the server; shaking the cup and the dice tumbling across the board only show it. Nobody, the computer included, can know or change a roll beforehand.

What is a mars?

If the loser has not borne off a single checker, the game is a mars (a gammon) and counts two points; an ordinary game counts one. Matches are played to 1, 3, 5 or 7 points. There is no doubling cube in Turkish tavla.

Who starts?

In the first game each player throws one die; the higher throws both dice again and starts (a tie is thrown again). Each later game is started by the winner of the one before.

How do staked tables work?

The host picks the stake and both players put it in as they sit down. The match winner takes both stakes less a 5% house cut. Chips are play money and can't be cashed out. Get up before the match starts and your stake comes back.

What happens when the clock runs out?

When the table's time (20, 30, 45 or 60 seconds) runs out, your dice are thrown and your move is played for you. Three in a row lose the match.

Can I play against the computer?

Yes: easy, medium or hard. The hard computer weighs the risk of every lone checker, the points it holds and the race. Matches against the computer never change your rating.

The dice are in your hands

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By playing you accept the terms of use; see the privacy policy.

Also searched as: backgammon, online backgammon, tavla, Turkish backgammon, 3D backgammon, tavli.

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