Crazy Narde

Crazy Narde, a/k/a Gul Bara or Rosespring Backgammon is similar to the variants Moultezim in that one checker controls a point. Each player starts with fifteen checkers on the rightmost point of the far side of the board, at diagonally opposite corners from one another. They both move counterclockwise, around the board.

The object of the game is for players to move all of their checkers around the board and bear them off. The first player to do so wins.

To start, both players roll one die with the higher number going first. That player rolls the dice again in order to start his turn. The roll of the dice indicates how many points/pips the player must move his checkers. The following rules apply:

1) A checker may be moved only to an open point unoccupied by an opposing checker.
2) The numbers on the two dice constitute separate moves. If a player rolls 4 and 3, he can move one checker four spaces and another checker three spaces, or he may move the one checker a total of seven, but only if the intermediate point is also open.

The major difference between Crazy Narde and other backgammon variants is that there is no hitting. One checker by itself controls a point, and an opposing checker may not land or touch down.

During the first three rolls of the game, doubles are played the same as in backgammon: each number is played twice. For example, a roll of 3-3 means a player has four threes to use.

When a player rolls doubles after the first three rolls, they not only play the number they rolled four times, but they also play each successive number four times. For example, if a player rolls 3-3, they play their four 3's, and then four 4's, and then four 5's, and then four 6's. If at any point a player is unable to play all four numbers, they lose the remainder of their turn.

Obviously in the early stages of a game it's not that difficult to play consecutive doubles. But since it only requires a single checker to block a point, after a while playing all the doubles becomes quite difficult.

Once a player has moved all fifteen checkers into his home board, he may begin bearing off. Players bear off a checker by rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which it resides, then removing that checker from the board.

If there is no checker on the point indicated, players must make a legal move using a checker on a higher-numbered point. If there are no checkers on higher-numbered points, players must remove a checker from the highest point that has a checker.

The first player to bear off all his checkers wins the game and receives one point. If the winner bears off all his checkers before the loser has borne off any, he receives two points.

Unlike backgammon, there is no doubling in this game.