Nard (game)

Nard

Persian tables game, possibly ancestral to backgammon
Bozorgmehr demonstrates the game of Nardshir to the Indian rajas
Other names	Nardshir
Genres	Board game Dice game
Players	2
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.