Nard (game)
Encyclopedia
Nard is a board game
for two players in which the playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice
. It's similar to backgammon
, uses the same board, but it has different initial positions and rules.
A common legend associates the game with the founder of the Sassanian dynasty, Ardshir. The oldest known reference to the game is thought to be a passage in the Talmud, although some claim it refers to the Greek game Kubeia. Another early reference is to be found in the Middle Persian romance of Chatrang-namak (written between the 7th and 9th centuries) which attributes the invention of the game to Bozorgmehr
.
By the 17th century the game was played in Georgia under the name of nardi, and by the 19th century it was being played by the Kalmucks (who called it narr). During most part of the 20th century both Georgia and Kalmucks were parts of USSR, so now the game is played in Russia and other ex-USSR countries under the name of nardy (нарды).
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
for two players in which the playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
. It's similar to backgammon
Backgammon
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
, uses the same board, but it has different initial positions and rules.
History
The game has been historically popular in Persia and in Armenia, Muslim countries and among Babylonian Jews. The name nardshir comes from the 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, Ardshir. The oldest known reference to the game is thought to be a passage in the Talmud, although some claim it refers to the Greek game Kubeia. Another early reference is to be found in the Middle Persian romance of Chatrang-namak (written between the 7th and 9th centuries) which attributes the invention of the game to Bozorgmehr
Bozorgmehr
Bozorgmehr-e Bokhtagan is the name of a vizier of Khusro I Anōšīravān attested in the literature and legend of Iran. According to Persian and Arabic sources, he was a man of "exceptional wisdom and sage counsels" and later became a characterisation of the expression...
.
By the 17th century the game was played in Georgia under the name of nardi, and by the 19th century it was being played by the Kalmucks (who called it narr). During most part of the 20th century both Georgia and Kalmucks were parts of USSR, so now the game is played in Russia and other ex-USSR countries under the name of nardy (нарды).