Zarivo: Tavla online with a friend
Zarivo is a free online Tavla game, the Turkish way of playing backgammon, in the browser: send a friend the invite link or play against a bot. It is for two players, needs no sign-up or download, and runs in English or Turkish.
- Players
- 2 players
- Languages
- Turkish, English
- Price
- Free, no sign-up
- Runs in
- any modern browser, phone or computer
How to play
Bring all fifteen checkers into your home and bear them off; the first to finish wins. Each die moves a checker that many points, either two checkers or one; doubles play four times.
The rules in short
- A point held by two enemy checkers is closed. You must use both dice when you can; if only one can be played, play the larger.
- Landing on a lone enemy checker hits it; it must enter in your home before its owner moves anything else.
- Once all your checkers are home, bear off; a higher die can take the farthest checker.
- Win before your opponent bears off any checker and it is mars: 2 points. Matches go to 5 points by default (1, 3, 5 or 7).
- To start, each player throws one die; the higher starts and throws both dice again, the Turkish custom. The doubling cube is optional and off by default.
With a friend or against the computer
Open a room and send the link; your friend takes the other seat. Or play the bot at easy, normal or hard. The turn timer can be off, 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds. Zarivo is also a round in wleeaf Play party tournaments.
Controls
Tap or drag a checker and its targets glow. Forced moves play themselves. Done confirms, Undo takes the turn back, and a double tap sends a checker as far as it can go, or off. On a keyboard, the arrows pick a checker and its target, 1–6 move it by that die and R rolls.
What makes Zarivo different
The board is an Ottoman tavla inlaid with mother-of-pearl, on a white marble table in the light of a carved lattice window. Dice are thrown on the server with cryptographic randomness at the moment of each throw. If you drop, your seat is held for 30 seconds and the game waits.
Questions
What is the difference between Tavla and backgammon?
The moves are the same. Turkish Tavla is usually played without the doubling cube, counts a gammon (mars) as 2 and has no triple game, and the opening winner throws both dice again.
Can I play against the computer?
Yes, against a bot at easy, normal or hard.
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