#tavli

[elladastinkardiamou]

Athens

Photo by Athens Vibe - athensvibe.gr

[nikolenachristofi]

Nicosia - Cyprus

[marinampee]

Η ζωή είναι σαν το τάβλι. Ξέρεις τις κινήσεις. Απλά χρειάζεσαι τις σωστές ζαριές 

[elladastinkardiamou]

Athens

Time out for tavli.

Photo by Lost Athina - lostathina.com

[elladastinkardiamou]

Greek Backgammon And How It's Played

The game of Tavli is one of the most common and popular forms of leisurely board game playing in Greece. It's a game played by almost everyone, but it is especially common among men at the local kefeneio, a Greek coffee shop. Tavli literally means ‘board’ and is basically the Greek version of Backgammon…with a lot more shouting! The game is generally played for fun, but sometimes also for money.

Tavli is a very old game, which comes from the Eastern Mediterranean and the civilizations of Mesopotamia. Although there are many mentions in history and in archeological findings, the origin of Tavli has not been researched in depth and most conclusions are quite arbitrary.

Nevertheless, the traditional backgammon games that are played in Greece, were born in Greece. There are even mentions of this table top game by Homer. From the moment it was recorded, Tavli has been the mouthpiece of at least a thousand oral traditions of Greek civilization.

[elladastinkardiamou]

Athens. Thisio

Two old men playing Tavli

Photo by Lost Athina - www.lostathina.com

[marinampee]

Θα γινόμουν ρομαντική αλλά με κέρδισε το τάβλι.

[cypr24]

Od tavli po remika – w co grają Cypryjczycy, kiedy świat świętuje Scrabble?

13 kwietnia to Światowy Dzień Scrabble – gra słów świętuje dziś swoje globalne pięć minut. Ale na Cyprze, zamiast punktować za „xenia” czy „zimię”, mieszkańcy wybierają inne formy rozrywki. Bo choć Scrabble bywa tu znane, to serca Cypryjczyków biją w rytmie tavli, remika i rodzinnych rozgrywek, które z literami mają niewiele wspólnego – ale emocji dostarczają co najmniej tyle samo. Światowy…

Od tavli po remika – w co grają Cypryjczycy, kiedy świat świętuje Scrabble?