Zarvel: Backgammon & Tavla

Zarvel is a backgammon & tavla game built to teach. Learn backgammon from your first move with a coach beside you, play an opponent that trained by playing itself, then review your games to see which single move cost you the most.

LEARN FROM THE FIRST MOVE

Backgammon for beginners starts here: 6 chapters and 22 lessons take you from how checkers move to the doubling cube and match scores. Every lesson uses the real board. Arrows show the idea, then you play the position yourself and get "Right" or "Not quite" with the reason. Every lesson is open from the start, and the home screen always shows where you are in the course. Club players use the later chapters to learn backgammon cube decisions and match play.

A COACH ON EVERY MOVE

Switch the coach on and it comments on each move you make: "Good", or "Better: ... because ..." in plain words, such as a blot left in reach or a point you could have made. Games played with hints are marked, so your own record stays honest. Not in the mood for comments? Ask for a hint and see the three best moves.

REVIEW YOUR GAMES

After a game, Zarvel finds the decisions that cost you most and explains them. The shot grid draws all 36 rolls so you can see how many would have hit you. Tap "Play it differently" to replay the position on the board. Every game gets an error rate, and Your skills shows seven areas, from the opening to the bear-off: lessons on one side, your own games on the other.

PRACTICE THAT FITS YOU

Your mistakes come back after 1, 3, 7 and 21 days until you get them right twice in a row. Short backgammon lessons and a new daily position fit a coffee break and need no connection. The race drill teaches pip counting. Rules and 26 terms sit on the live board with search, so a word like "blot" or "prime" is one tap away.

BACKGAMMON & TAVLA

Play a single game or a match to 1-25 points against the computer. Undo a move before you end your turn, and a game you closed resumes at the same roll. The doubling cube only changes what a game is worth in match points, and the Crawford rule is built in. Tavla has its own rules: no cube, an opening roll that is rolled again, and mars worth two points. The opponent has five levels. The level changes how well it plays, never the dice.

DICE YOU CAN CHECK

Before the first roll, each game shows a seal of its dice. When the game ends you can check that every roll matches the seal, and the dice ledger compares the shots you left with the hits you took. Prefer a real set? "Your dice" lets you type in rolls from a physical board.

BACKGAMMON OFFLINE AND PRIVATE

Play backgammon offline anywhere: there is no account, no sign-in and no internet connection needed. Your games, lessons and mistakes stay on this phone, with backup and export to a file. Available in 16 languages, with a dark theme, large text and TalkBack support.

Currently free, no ads.