Fevga Backgammon Variant

Fevga is part of the Greek Backgammon variant trio, called Tavli, which also includes Plakoto and Portes. Generally these Backgammon games are played in succession in 3, 5, or 7 point matches.

A Fevga player begins with 15 checkers on the utmost right point of the furthest side of the Backgammon board, at crosswise corners from his opponent. Both of the players must have their checkers encircle the board counterclockwise.

As in regular Backgammon, the goal in this Backgammon variant is to get every one of your checkers to encircle the entire board and bear them off. In order to begin playing, each of the participants roll a die and the one with the higher number gets to play first. Next, the winner of the opening roll rolls both of the dice once more to begin his initial turn. Following the first game of Fevga, the victor of the preceding game plays first.

Players need to move their checkers in accordance with the points that correspond to the numbers that come up when they roll the dice. These are the rules of checker movement in Fevga:

1. A checker can only be placed on a point that isn't held by any of the opponent's checkers.
2. There are 2 dice in Fevga and the numbers on each of them signify 2 independent moves.
3. Doubles have to be played 2 times.
4. A player has to use both of the numbers that come up on a dice roll whenever it is possible, and all 4 numbers if doubles are rolled. In the case that you can only play 1 number, you have to play the higher number.

As a prerequisite to moving any of your checkers, your very first checker has to pass your opponent's point of departure. In addition, there is no hitting in Fevga because in this Backgammon variant, one checker is enough to control a point.

Furthermore, a Fevga player is prohibited from blocking primes (6 points in a row) in his starting table. In the case that you have constructed a prime and your adversary has gathered all of his checkers to the 1 point in back of your prime, you have to clear one of the points in your prime in order to enable his movement in this Backgammon variant.

Regarding the bear off, you can only start to bear off when every one of your 15 checkers has landed in the finishing table. In order to bear off you need to roll a number that matches the point that checker stands on and then take that checker off the Backgammon board. White bears off at the lower-right, while Red does so from the upper-left.

In the case that the point marked by the roll is clear, you have to make a move with a checker on a point with a higher number. If your higher-numbered points are clear as well, you need to take your checker off of the highest point that a checker resides.

The winner of a Fevga game is the first one to bear off every one of his checkers. He also gets 1 point. In the case that the victor bears off every one of his checkers while his opponent has not borne off any of his, than he scores 2 points.

David Carnegy - Managing Editor