Tavli support

Get help or report a problem

Email tavli@dkcreative.uk and say what happened and which game you were in. A screenshot of the board helps. Replies take a few days.

Questions

What is free and what is not?

Free: portes against the computer at Easy, pass-and-play in all three games as single games, and the Classic board. One purchase, "Full tavli", opens plakoto and fevga against the computer, the Medium and Strong levels, the tavli match and matches to 3, 5 or 7, online play, the doubling cube and the other six boards. There is no subscription and there are no ads.

I bought the unlock on another device

Open Settings (the two checkers at the top right), then Unlock, then Restore purchase. The purchase belongs to your Apple Account and works on every device signed in to it, including through Family Sharing.

How do the games differ?

Portes is standard backgammon: a lone checker can be hit and must re-enter from the bar. Plakoto has no hitting; landing on a lone checker pins it until you leave, and pinning the last checker on its starting point scores double. Fevga sends both sides the same way round; a single checker holds a point and you may not build a wall of six in your own starting table. The rules follow the descriptions at bkgm.com.

The dice keep giving me small numbers

Nothing weighs them, and you do not have to take our word for it. Every match's dice are fixed before its first roll, and Settings shows the fingerprint of the secret that fixed them. When the match ends, the app reveals that secret with every roll it made, so you can check the whole match yourself. A run of bad rolls is still a run of bad rolls. How it works, in full.

Can I turn the pip count off?

Yes. The count at each end of the board is on to begin with; Settings has a switch for it, next to move hints.

Can it take the last checkers off for me?

Switch on "Bear off for me" in Settings and the app takes a checker off whenever every die takes one off and nothing can be hit. When a game has become a race that only the dice can decide, Settings also offers to play it out.

Two of us want to play on one device

New game, then Play a friend, and lay the phone or iPad flat between you. Each player gets a dice tray at their own end, facing them, with their own dice, settings and undo. The result card and an offered double turn to face whoever they are for, and the screen stays awake while the game is on.

How does an online match work?

New game, Online, Find a game. Game Center pairs you with a friend or with anyone. Each player has a week to take their turn; the app tells you when it is yours. A match is a single game or a race to 3, 5 or 7 points, chosen when it is created. Both players need Game Center switched on in iOS Settings.

What is the doubling cube?

An optional part of portes for match play. Before rolling, a player may double the stake; the other side takes and plays on for twice the points, or passes and loses the current stake. Switch it on in Settings; it needs the unlock.

The board turned sideways

On a phone held upright, and on the iPhone Duo's outer display, the board turns so its points run in from the sides and the bar runs across. Held on its side, or on the Duo's inner display and on iPad, the board sits the usual way with the bar down the middle. It is the same board either way.

How do I remove my data?

Delete the app. It stores only your settings and last game choice on the device. Online match records live in Game Center, under your Apple Account, and can be removed from Game Center's own settings.