Backagmmon rules | Tavli

Backgammon Rules

Tavli - Plakoto

Plakoto is an interesting game, it can be played relatively fast (six to eight minutes), and presents unending possibilities of excitement and surprise. Luck and skill play approximately an equal role and in a given game, even the worst amateur could beat the most widely accepted expert.
Plakoto is known as the "King of Backgammon." The element of luck is substantially reduced in this game, and a skillful player will probably win eighty percent of the games from his opponent.
Plakoto is played by two players, white sits on the South side, and all his pieces are resting on his own one position. The figure shows only three pieces, but you should note that each piece is multiplied by five. This notation is used to indicate that there are five pieces stacked up on each piece shown there, making a total of fifteen pieces. Black sits on the North side and the same notation holds for him as well.
Each player starts at his own one position, and moves his pieces toward his own outer table into his opponent's outer table and finally, into his opponent's home. At that stage, the pieces can be borne off. Thus, the movement of white's pieces is in the counterclockwise direction and the movement of Black's pieces is in the clockwise direction. It should be noted that the terms home and inner table no longer have the same meanings. In plakoto, home is where the pieces start off - not where they end up. Effectively, they end up at your opponent's home.
If a single piece occupies a position, this piece is called a blot. If an opponent moves one of his pieces into a position occupied by a blot, then the blot is captured (both pieces stay on the board with the captured piece on the bottom touching the side of the board), and cannot be moved until it is freed. The position of a captured blot is equivalent to a point made (a door) for the player who has done the capturing. He may add as many pieces there as he wishes and the opponent cannot move into that position again. This rule is the main difference (besides the original setup) between Portes and Plakoto.

How to play

In a rather simple analogy, the game of plakoto resembles two enemy armies. They both start at a specific position they move forward toward a confrontation- they cross each other, and they occupy their opponent's original position. The army that wins is the army that can do the job most effectively.
The primary goal of a player in the game of plakoto is to control space or area. He can do so by making points in strategic spots, of course. Space cannot be controlled completely by points since he has only fifteen pieces, and can make only seven points at most. He must conquer and control points by capturing his opponent's pieces whenever he can (and when it is advantageous).
Capturing enemy pieces does not only control a point with only one of your pieces, but at the same time, it also denies your opponent the possibility of using this piece for his own space-controlling intentions.
The general overall strategy must therefore be to make points and capture as many of your opponent's blots as possible, while you march your pieces through to your opponent's home and off the board.

Since controlling space represents the most important overall play of plakoto, it is a good idea to discuss the various positions of the board, and how important they are in dominating areas.

The most important positions to control are your own inner and outer bar points, your own twelve points, and the same points in your opponent's table. In other words, control the corners- and you have a distinct advantage. The reason for the importance of these positions is obvious.
Your own bar points enable you to enter new pieces there at the beginning of the game- and once riders (or builders) are placed there, more points can be made in your outer table. At the same time, these riders can be used to capture blots in your opponent's outer table (with throws totaling seven or more), whereas, throws of doublets enable you to do the same in your opponent's inner table. The importance of your own and your opponent's twelve points is also clear. On the one hand, they can serve as stepping stones in the march of your pieces, on the other hand, riders placed on top of these points threaten your opponent's inner table blots.
The importance of your opponent's bar points is not only the fact that you deny him the advantage of his controlling them, but also the fact that his "mother" is gravely threatened. A player may capture as many blots as possible on a given throw.

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