Long Nardy Online

What is long nardy?

Long nardy is the most popular form of nardy (nard) in Russia, the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) and Central Asia. In English you'll see it spelled many ways — long nardy, long backgammon, narde, nardi or simply nard. It's played on a standard backgammon board with the same 15 checkers per side and two dice, but it feels like a different game: there is no hitting, and the fight is about building blocks that stop your opponent from moving.

Related no-hitting games exist around the Mediterranean — Moultezim in Turkey and Fevga in Greece share the same idea of starting from one point and racing in the same direction, but their rules differ in the details. On NARDEON you play long nardy by the classic rules described below.

How to play long nardy online on NARDEON

1. Press Play — you join as a guest automatically.
2. Choose Long Nardy and the match length: first to 1, 3, 5 or 7 points.
3. Pick your opponent: a random player online, a friend by link, or the computer.
4. Roll and move checkers with a tap or a click. You can undo any step until you confirm your move.

Long backgammon online: four ways to play

All modes are open to guests, with no download and no sign-up. Pick the one that fits who you want to play:

Matchmaking only pairs you with real people — the server never substitutes a computer opponent. Because long nardy is still rare outside Russian-speaking countries, many of your opponents will be players from the Caucasus, Central Asia and Russia. The interface is available in 21 languages, including English and Russian.

Long nardy rules in short

Each player has 15 checkers, and at the start they all sit on one point — the head. Both players move in the same direction, counterclockwise, travel all the way around the board, gather their checkers in their home board and race to bear them off first.

• No hitting. You can't land on a point that holds even one of your opponent's checkers.
• One checker off the head per turn. The only exception is your first turn: with 6-6, 4-4 or 3-3 you may take two checkers off the head.
• Doubles are played four times. Roll 5-5 and you have four moves of 5.
• No six-point block unless at least one opposing checker has already passed it.
• Use both dice if you can. If only one can be played, play it; if either could be played but not both, play the higher one.

The full rules with board diagrams: long nardy rules and setup. Two rules people often get wrong have their own pages: what to do with doubles and bearing off.

Who moves first

Before each game both players roll one die; ties are rolled again. The higher roll moves first. Unlike backgammon, in long nardy those opening dice only decide the order: the winner then rolls both dice for the actual first move. So a long nardy game can open with a double — and that's exactly when the 6-6, 4-4 or 3-3 exception lets you take two checkers off the head.

Winning a game: single win and mars

The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins the game and scores 1 point. If the loser hasn't borne off a single checker by then, it's a mars — the long nardy version of a gammon — worth 2 points. A match is played to the length you chose: 1, 3, 5 or 7 points.

Time control online

Online matches give you 12 free seconds per move, then a 2-minute time bank for the whole match; no single move may take longer than 60 seconds, and running out of time loses the match. Against the computer and on one screen there's no clock.

Long nardy app? Just open it full screen

There's nothing to install. Long nardy runs in the browser on Android, iPhone, tablets, Windows and Mac. Press Full screen next to the board to hide the browser bars (where supported), or add the game to your phone's home screen so it opens in its own window like an app. Handy settings: one-tap moves, move without “Done”, auto roll, point numbers 1–24, three board themes and full keyboard control on desktop.

Why play long nardy here

• Instant start. No sign-up, no download, no ads before the game.
• Runs smoothly on low-end phones. The board is light to draw and doesn't drain the battery; in a background tab the game uses almost nothing.
• Fair dice you can verify. The server rolls, not your opponent's phone, and every roll can be checked after the match.
• Rating and tournaments. With an account you get a rating (FIBS formula), a leaderboard and knockout tournaments for long and short nardy.
• Match replays. Rewatch any of your online matches move by move and share the link with a friend.
• A dropped connection isn't a loss. You have a minute to get back into the game (on your turn the move clock keeps running).

New to the game? Practice against the computer — Beginner first, then Amateur and Master. Once you know the rules, the long nardy strategy guide covers the opening, blocks, timing and the bear-off. Wondering how it compares with the game you know? Read long nardy vs backgammon.

New to the terms? The glossary explains head, mars, prime and more. Prefer the game with hitting? Try backgammon (short nardy).

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

Updated: October 24, 2026