Play Tawla 31 online with friends, free

How to play Tawla 31

1. Two players, 15 checkers each, on the usual 24-point board. Each player stacks all 15 checkers on their own starting point, diagonally across the board from the rival's.
2. Both players travel the same way round the board, through four quarters of six points, to their own home quarter.
3. To start, each player rolls one die. The higher die starts and then rolls both dice fresh for the first turn.
4. Each die moves one checker that many points forward. One checker can use both dice if the point in between is open too. Doubles give four moves.
5. You may land only on an empty point or on your own checkers. A point holding even one rival checker is closed. There is no hitting and no bar.
6. The first runner: until one of your checkers reaches the rival's starting quarter, only that one checker may leave your starting point.
7. When all 15 of your checkers are in your home quarter, bear them off. The first player to bear off all 15 wins the game.

Tawla 31 rules at a glance

• Use both dice whenever you can. If only one die can be played, play the larger one when possible. If nothing can be played, the turn passes.
• One checker blocks: you can never land on a point with a rival checker on it, so a row of single checkers is a real wall.
• Closed quarter: if you hold all six points of your own starting quarter while every rival checker is still behind them, you win the game at once.
• Bearing off: a die takes off a checker from the matching point. If that point is empty you must move inside home from a higher point, and if no checker sits higher, the die takes one off your highest point.
• A normal win is worth 1 point. Mars: if the loser has borne off no checkers at all, the win counts 2.
• Unlike Western backgammon, Tawla 31 has no hitting, no bar and no doubling cube, and both players race the same way round.

Tawla 31 in Rayoosh

• Players: 1 vs 1, against a friend, a player from the lobby or the computer.
• Mode: Classic Tawla 31, with the first-runner rule and the closed-quarter win.
• Quick: one game, about 10 minutes. Full: first to 3 points, about 28 minutes.
• Pearls by finishing place: 25 for a Quick win and 60 for a Full win. They are never bought or cashed out.
• Tap a checker and the points it can reach light up. Undo a step before you confirm, and a chip reminds you to run one checker ahead first.
• Works on phones, tablets, computers and TVs with a remote, in Arabic, English and Hindi.

Tips to win at Tawla 31

• Get your first runner away early: until it reaches the rival's starting quarter, the rest of your checkers are stuck.
• Build a row of four or five points side by side in front of your rival's back checkers. With no hitting, a wall like that slows them right down.
• Get one checker all the way home in good time: once a checker of yours is past your rival's starting quarter, they can no longer win by closing it.
• Don't pile too many checkers on one point. Spread them out so every roll has a good use.
• Spread your checkers across your home quarter before bearing off, so fewer dice are wasted.
• Count the race: when the walls are gone, the player with fewer points left to travel is usually ahead.

Play Tawla 31 with friends

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

• A computer player is always ready when you want to practise.
• 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.