Editing Tables game (section)

===Middle East and Central Asia===
Tables games are played widely in the [[Middle East]] and [[Central Asia]]. The most popular is known as '''{{transliteration|ar|Tawlah}}''' in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] (meaning "table"). This may represent a shared name origin with the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] or [[Byzantine]] tables games. The game is called '''{{transliteration|fa|Takhte Nard}}''' in [[Iran]]. In [[Israel]] and many Arabic-speaking countries, it is known as '''Shesh Besh''' (pronounced Sheesh Beesh in Arabic), which is a rhyming combination ''shesh'', meaning six in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Aramaic]] and [[Northwest Semitic languages|Northwest Semitic]], and ''besh'', meaning five in [[Turkish language|Turkish]]). It is also played by some Kurdish, Persian and Turkish speakers. ''Shesh besh'' is commonly used to refer to when a player scores a 5 and 6 at the same time on dice.<ref name="BoueriBoutros2006">{{cite book |last1=Boueri |first1=Marijean |last2=Boutros |first2=Jill |last3=Sayad |first3=Joanne |title=Lebanon A to Z: A Middle Eastern Mosaic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VIemBhgNmpAC&pg=PA59 |publisher=PublishingWorks |date=April 2006 |pages=59– |isbn=978-0-9744803-4-3}}</ref>

The name '''Nardshir''' comes from the [[Persian language|Persian]] ''nard'' (Wooden block) and ''shir'' (lion) referring to the two type of pieces used in play. A common legend associates the game with the founder of the [[Sassanian dynasty]], [[Ardashir I]]. The oldest known reference to the game is thought to be a passage in the [[Talmud]].

''[[Plakoto|Mahbusa]]'' means "imprisoned". Each player begins with 15 counters on his opponent's 24-point. If a counter is hit, it is not placed on the bar, but instead, the hitting piece is placed on top, and the point is then controlled by the hitting player. The counter which has been hit is 'imprisoned' and cannot be moved until the opponent removes his piece. Sometimes, a rule is used that requires a player to bring his first counter around to his home board before moving any others. In any case, a rapid advance to one's own home board is desirable, as imprisoning the opponent's counter there is highly advantageous. Mahbusa is similar to ''[[Tapa (game)|tapa]]''.

''[[Fevga|Tawla 31]]'' (meaning table 31) or ''[[Fevga|Maghribiyya]]'' (meaning "Moroccan"). Similar to '''Mahbusa''', each player begins with 15 counters on the opponent's 24-point. However, this game involves neither hitting not pinning. Instead, one or more pieces on a point act as a [[block (tables game)|block]]. Moreover, a player must initially advance only one counter to the opponent's 'home board' before being able to move additional pieces. '''Tawla 31''' or '''Maghribiyya''' is similar to ''[[Fevga]]''.
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Many of the early [[Arabic]] texts which refer to the game comment on the debate regarding the legality and morality of playing the game. This debate was settled by the eighth century when all four [[Islam|Muslim]] schools of jurisprudence declared the game to be [[Haraam]] (forbidden), however the game is still played today in many Arab countries.

In the modern Middle East, tables games are a common feature of [[coffeehouse]]s. Today they continue to be commonly played in various forms in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and throughout the Arab world.

A feature of tables play in some Arab countries is that [[Persian language|Persian]] numbers, rather than Arabic ones, are called out by a player announcing his [[dice]] rolls.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}}

====Armenia====
'''Nardi''' ({{langx|hy|նարդի}}) is very popular among [[Armenians]]. The word is derived from Persian word {{Lang|fa-Latn|nard}} ({{langx|fa|نرد|rtl=yes}}). There are two games of Nardi commonly played:

[[Short Nardi]]: the local name for Backgammon; same setup and rules.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vnews.am/kartch-nardi-xaghalu-kanonnereh-ev-orenkhnereh/|title=Կարճ նարդի խաղալու կանոնները և օրենքները|first=Կարեն|last=Ռաֆայելյան|website=VNews}}</ref>

[[Long Nardi]]: A game that starts with all fifteen pieces are placed in a line on the 24-point and on the 11-point. The two players move their pieces in parallel directions, from the 24-point towards the 1-point, or home board. In Long Nardi, one piece by itself can block a point. There is no hitting in Long Nardi. The objective of the game is bearing all pieces off the board, and there is no doubling cube.

==== Iran ====
{{main|Nard (game){{!}}Nard}}
[[File:Persian Backgammon board made in Khatam technique.jpg|thumb|Persian [[Nard (game)|Nard]] Board made in the [[Khatam]] marquetry technique.]]
'''Nard''' is the name for the Persian tables game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranian.com/Alimagham/2006/February/Backgammon/index.html,|title=Backgammon, or Takheth Nard}}</ref> H. J. R. Murray details many versions of tables games; his description of modern Persian ''Nard'' has the same layout and scheme of movement as backgammon. He suggests that it may date back, perhaps in an older form, to 300–500 AD in the Babylonian Talmud,<ref name="murray"/> although others believe the Talmud references the Greek race game ''Kubeia''.

People in the [[Iranian plateau]] and [[Caucasus]] region, especially in [[Azerbaijan]], [[Iran]], [[Armenia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Russia]], are very fond of playing [[Nard (game)|narde]]. All 15 of a player's counters are initially positioned on his own 24-point, but there is a major difference. One is forbidden to put his counter at a point occupied by one's opponent's counter, so there is no hitting or imprisonment in the long narde game. The main strategy is to secure playing "big pairs" by one's own counter and prevent as much as possible doing the same by the opponent.

The game is known as "Fevga" in Greece, "Moultezim" in Turkey, Mahbusa in the Middle East and "Ifranjiah" or ''Frankish'' in Arabia. It can also be spelt as "Nard" or "Nardi".

A version known as ''short narde'' is a simplified form of Ifranjiah. In Georgia, ifranjiah is played as elsewhere, but called "nardi". In Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia many experienced players also play '''long narde''', which some see as requiring deeper strategy.

One of the most famous narde championships is the championship of Azerbaijan – Gizil Zar – Golden Dawn. The winner is awarded with gold dice.

'''[[Gul bara]]''', sometimes referred to as "'''Rosespring Backgammon'''" or "'''Crazy Narde'''", is a tables game in which there is no hitting.
{{anchor|Tavla}}

==== Turkey ====
[[File:Tavla oynayan kadınlar, Serik - Women playing backgammon in Turkey.jpg|thumb|left|Women playing ''[[tabula (game)|tavla]]'' in [[Turkey]].]]
{{main|Tawula}}
'''[[Tavla]]''' (from [[Latin]] Tabula, from [[Medieval Greek]] τάβλη<ref name="austin-zeno"/> or from [[Arabic]] "tawleh"), is a very popular game in Turkey. It lacks a doubling cube, gammons and backgammons are counted as two points called ''mars'' and the players may not hit and run in their home boards.<ref>[http://www.bkgm.com/variants/Tavla.html Tavla]</ref> Matches are usually played to five points. It is customary to call the dice rolls their [[Persian language|Persian]] number names, with local spellings: {{lang|fa-Latn|yek}} (1), {{lang|fa-Latn|dü}} (2), {{lang|fa-Latn|se}} (3), {{lang|fa-Latn|cehar}} (4), {{lang|fa-Latn|penç}} (5), and {{lang|fa-Latn|şeş}} (6).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ergil|first1=Leyla Yvonne|title=Top Tavla tips for expats to play like a Turk|url=http://www.dailysabah.com/life/2014/10/11/top-tavla-tips-for-expats-to-play-like-a-turk|website=Daily Sabah|date=11 October 2014|publisher=dailysabah.com|access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref>

There are many variants of Tavla in Turkey, where the course of play changes drastically. The usual tavla is also known as ''erkek tavlası'' ("boys' tavla" or "men's tavla"). The other variant ''kız tavlası'' ("girls' tavla") is a game which depends only on the dice and involves no strategy. There is another variant called ''asker tavlası'' ("soldiers' tavla") where the pieces are thrown to the board randomly and the opponents try to flip their pieces over the opponents' pieces to beat them. The player with no pieces left loses the game. This variant doesn't involve dice at all and the play depends more on hand-eye coordination than tactical decision making. ''Üniversite tavlası'' ("university tavla") is a variant of the game played with two or more tavlas and four or more players, with the players forming groups. The dice are thrown only by two opposing players and the rest must play the same dice. If a team member gets beaten and cannot enter, his teammates cannot play for that round. Although the dice are the same, the game on every board differs, where the case of one team member winning and another losing is very common. This variant is considered much harder because the player must take more than one play into account while only being capable of making decisions on his own board.

'''Hapis''' (Turkish for "prison") is another tables game played in Turkey. It is very similar to Mahbusa played in the [[Arab World]].