The tavla or Izmir tavla is a Turkish Jeu of chance reasoned for two players which is played on a apron with Dé S and pawns (similar to those of the set of ladies). The rules are different but close to those to the Backgammon. In Arabic, one calls it tawla . One generally plays Mahbousseh with the tavla.

Material

• the tavla often in the form of a case which one opens flat, made up of two parts of twelve “arrows”;

• fifteen pawns of each color;
• a pair of Die S to be played ordinary;

Goal of the play

As for the Backgammon, to make carry out with all its pawns the turn of the apron and to leave them the first.

The two players carry out the turn of the apron in opposite direction.

The strategy to be used is a mixture of blocking and attack (by imprisoning the unfavourable pawns). The presence of throws of dice makes the probability theory essential.

Rules of the game of Mahbousseh

Mahbousseh (محبوسة) means in Arabic imprisoned .

Starting of the play

The fifteen pawns of each player are placed in the box 24, i.e. opposite on the right on the corner. Generally, the players place only some pawns on the table at the beginning and keep the remainders in their hand with which they do not move the pawns and the dice (left for a droitier for example) do not throw. Each one launches a die, most extremely can play the combination formed by the two dice, in the event of double, one withdraws until obtaining a playable value.

To move the pawns

Each die can make it possible to move a pawn of a number of arrows equal to the number of posted points. Generally, even in the Arab countries, one says the result of the throw obtained by using the Kurdish pronunciations according to various rules:

When two different numbers are obtained, one says the numbers per decreasing order while placing a OAU ( and ) between the two numbers, for example: 1 and 4: jhar OAU yac . Exception, one does not say chech OAU benj for the couple 5 and 6 but chech bech , moreover as one calls the backgammon in Israel.

It is necessary so that displacement is possible that the box of arrival is not blocked, i.e. contains less than two pawns of which that of the top is unfavourable.

If the box contains only one unfavourable pawn, one it imprisons , to see further.

In the event of double, the dice are played twice (example: in the event of double 5, the player must play four times the 5).

If several dice are played on the same pawn the intermediate boxes must be not blocked to play 9 is 4 and 5 it is necessary that 4th or the 5th box is not blocked.

khaneh is called when in the same throw one moves two pawns on departure in different boxes and arrival in the same box in the empty beginning.

To imprison a pawn

We saw it, when one leads to a box containing only one unfavourable pawn, one imprisons it, instead of striking it as in the backgammon with the European one. That consists, instead of withdrawing the pawn, to leave it and put the unfavourable pawn above. Thus, the unfavourable player can play his pawn only if the unfavourable pawn from goes away. One can imprison more than one pawn by turn.

To release a pawn

Contrary to the backgammon, the player can even if it has pawns imprisoned to play his other pawns. To release its imprisoned pawns, it must wait until the unfavourable player moves his pawn.

To leave its pawns

Once all the pawns on its side on the right (box 1 to 6), i.e. opposite the first 6 starting boxes, one can start to leave the pawns the play. The left pawns do not intervene any more in the play.

If a pawn or several pawns “is imprisoned” one is obliged to wait until they are released before being able to leave other pawns, even if this one is imprisoned side where the pawns are withdrawn.

For this one must make the number of exact points corresponding to the number of boxes to leave.
Il has a tolerance there: if all the boxes larger or equal to the number of the die are empty one can leave a pawn the most distant arrow (for example if 4-5-6 are empty, one 5 allows to leave a pawn arrow 3.

Constraints of play

• If a player can play his two dice, it must do it. If it can play only one of them, it plays it.

• If a player did not leave pawn whereas the other finishes, it is “March” (as in French): the part counts double.