Nard (game)

Nard
Persian tables game, possibly ancestral to backgammon
Bozorgmehr demonstrates the game of Nardshir to the Indian rajas
Other namesNardshir
GenresBoard game
Dice game
Players2
Movement may be contrary or parallel depending on the variant

Nard (Persian: نرد, also narde or nardshir; from Middle Persian: nywʾlthšyl nēw-ardaxšīr) is an historical Persian tables game for two players that is sometimes considered ancestral to backgammon. It is still played today, albeit in a different form. As in other tables games, the playing pieces are moved around a board according to rolls of dice. It uses a standard tables board, but has a different opening layout and rules of play from that of backgammon.