Plakoto is a variant of classic Backgammon. Plakoto is popular in Greece and it is one of three games – Portes, Plakoto, and Fevga that together create a game called Tavli. The interesting about Plakoto is the fact the game can be over before bearing off. In this article, you can learn how to play Plakoto.
How to play Plakoto?
The basic concept is like the concept of classic Backgammon – for a refresher click here.
Here are the differences between Backgammon and Plakoto:
- The starting position of pieces in Plakoto is different from Backgammon:
All the pieces start at point 1 of the opponent’s home.
- The movement directions are as follows(like backgammon):
There is no hitting in this game. Instead of hitting you can block your opponent – also called pinning. If you land on the opponent’s solo piece, you “pinning” him to the point until you move your piece off. In addition, when blocking the opponent, the point is considered a close point and the opponent can’t land on it:
In the image above, you can see how the red piece blocks the white piece. The white piece could move only when the red piece will move.
- The last piece to leave the starting quadrate is called the “mother” piece. If you manage to block your opponent’s “mother” piece, the game is over and your opponent loses 2 points. This can only happen if you already move your “mother” piece from the starting quadrate. If not, your opponents still have the chance to block your “mother piece”. If both “mother” pieces get blocked, the game is over in a tie.
- The player who removes all fifteen pieces first wins. If the player who loses has removed at least one piece, they will only lose one point, but if they have not removed any pieces, they will lose two points.
- There is no doubling cube.
FAQ
The main difference between Plakoto and Backgammon is the starting position of the pieces. In Plakoto, players start with all of their pieces on the opponent’s one-point, while in Backgammon, players start with pieces on their own home board. Additionally, Plakoto requires two or more pieces to be stacked on a single point before they can be captured, whereas in Backgammon, a single piece can be captured if left alone on a point.
Plakoto can be played by two players.
If you are already familiar with the rules of Backgammon, learning Plakoto should be fairly straightforward. However, the unique starting position of the pieces and the different rules regarding capturing may take some getting used to.
Plakoto can be played online or in-person at Backgammon clubs or events. There are also many apps and websites dedicated to playing Plakoto and other Backgammon variants.
