Play Mahbooseh online with friends, free

How to play Mahbooseh

1. Two players, 15 checkers each, on a 24-point board. All your checkers start stacked on one point, the last point of your rival's home, and the two sides travel in opposite directions.
2. To start, each player rolls one die: the higher roll starts, and ties roll again. The starter then rolls both dice for the first turn.
3. Each die moves one checker forward that many points, or one checker can use both dice if the point in between is open. Doubles give four moves.
4. You may land on an empty point, on your own checkers, or on a single free rival checker. Landing on that lone checker traps it underneath yours.
5. You can't land on a point with two or more rival checkers, or on a point where one of your own checkers is trapped: that point belongs to the trapper.
6. A trapped checker can't move. It is freed as soon as every rival checker on top of it has left.
7. Use as many dice as you can; if only one can be played, play the larger. With no legal move, your turn passes.
8. Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home quarter and none is trapped, bear them off. The first to bear off all 15 wins.

Mahbooseh rules at a glance

• No hitting and no bar: a lone checker is trapped where it stands, not sent back.
• Only one checker can ever be trapped on a point, and the trapper may stack more checkers on top.
• Holding the checker: trap your rival's last checker still on its starting point and you win at once, worth 2 points. Trapping a lone checker anywhere else is a normal trap.
• A trapped checker of yours, even inside your home, stops you bearing off until it is freed.
• Bearing off works as in backgammon: a die takes a checker from the matching point, or from your highest point when nothing is higher.
• Mars: bear off all 15 before your rival bears off any and you win 2 points. A normal win is 1 point.

Mahbooseh in Rayoosh

• Players: 1 vs 1, against a friend, a Quick Play opponent or the computer.
• Mode: Classic, with trapping and holding the checker.
• Quick: 1 game, about 10 minutes. Full: first to 3 points, about 28 minutes.
• Pearls by result: 25 for the winner and 5 for the other player in Quick, 60 and 10 in Full. Never bought, never cashed out.
• Trapped checkers are clearly marked on the board, and Rayoosh warns you when your last checker on the starting point is in danger.
• Undo your moves before you confirm the turn. Works on phones, tablets, computers and TVs with a remote, in Arabic, English and Hindi.

Tips to win at Mahbooseh

• Never leave your last checker alone on the starting point within your rival's reach: move your last two off together, one die each or with a double.
• Trap rival checkers in or near your own home. You are heading there anyway, so they stay trapped for a long time.
• Count the rolls that can reach a lone checker before you leave it: a lone checker far from home is the most costly to lose.
• Make points of two or more checkers in your rival's path: they are safe and they block.
• A trapped checker wastes turns, so free yours quickly and keep an eye on the race.
• Watch your rival's starting point as you come home: a single checker left there is your chance to win double.

Play Mahbooseh with friends

Create a private table, share the link on WhatsApp, show the QR code or read out the room code, and your rival joins in seconds with no download.

• Nobody free? The computer is always ready for a game.
• Text chat with quick phrases, voice chat, emotes and gifts at the table.
• A short lesson and practice games against the computer, any time.
• Once Rayoosh is installed, you can play the computer even without internet.