A Backgammon App Without the App Store

Why a browser app instead of a store download

• Nothing to install. No storage to free up, no 100 MB download, no permissions to approve.
• Always the latest version. Updates arrive by themselves — there's no "update required" screen.
• Start in seconds. Open the link and you're at the board, even without an account.
• One account on every device. Start on your phone, carry on at your computer: the rating and match history are shared.
• No ads. Not before a game, not between games, not as a "watch a video to continue".

Add the backgammon app to your home screen

Android (Chrome)

1. Open nardeon.com in Chrome.
2. Tap the "⋮" menu in the top-right corner.
3. Choose "Add to Home screen" or "Install app".

iPhone and iPad (Safari)

1. Open nardeon.com in Safari.
2. Tap Share — the square with an arrow pointing up.
3. Choose "Add to Home Screen" and confirm.

The NARDEON icon appears with your other apps, and the game opens full screen, without the address bar. On a computer it works the same way — see backgammon for PC.

What you can play in the app

• Backgammon (short nardy) — hitting, the bar, gammons.
• Long nardy — the no-hitting game played from the Caucasus to Central Asia.
• Multiplayer online — a random opponent who chose the same game and match length.
• With a friend — a room by link or a 5-character code.
• Two players, one screen — pass the phone across the table.
• Vs computer — Beginner, Amateur and Master.

Matches are played to 1, 3, 5 or 7 points. There's no playing for stakes.

Made for a small screen

On a phone held upright the board turns to fit the screen; turn the phone sideways and it adjusts again. You move checkers with a tap or a drag, and any step can be undone until you confirm the move. A few settings help on a phone:

• One-tap moves — tapping a checker moves it by the higher die;
• Move without "Done" — the move ends as soon as the last checker lands;
• Auto roll — the dice are rolled for you when it's your turn;
• Animations off — for older phones or if you simply prefer instant moves.

A backgammon app with fair dice

"Is this app rigged?" is the question every backgammon player asks after a bad run of rolls. Here the dice for online games come from the server, and before the match the server commits to a secret it can't change later. After the match the secret is revealed, and your browser recomputes every roll. If even one throw had been altered, the check would fail. Full explanation: how to verify the dice.

Good for beginners too

New to the game? Start against the computer on Beginner, keep the one-page rules open in another tab, and read backgammon for beginners when you want the ideas behind the moves.

Play for freeNo sign-up, no download — right in your browser

Updated: October 24, 2026