Games People Play

With the onset of autumn and the change in the weather and pace of life, we thought it would be a good time to turn our attention to some ‘indoor activities’ that are popular in and around Rethymnon (the ones that are socially acceptable to carry out in public, of course!). On this page we give you some background information to just a couple of the best known traditional Cretan indoor pastimes (the picture of the dartboard is a red herring, by the way, although darts is becoming quite trendy here) that keep people amused on a long winter’s evening.

Tavli

Just as it is hard to imagine a Cretan summer without the sound of cicadas in the trees, so it is difficult to imagine a winter evening in a local kafenion without hearing the sound of dice being rolled and tavli chips clicking on a game board. ‘Tavli’ is the generic term in Greek for variants of the game (including the games of ‘Portes’, ‘Plakoto’ and ‘Fevga’) known in English as Backgammon. The origins of Tavli are unclear, but it is believed that early versions of the game were being played in Mesopotamia some 5000 years ago. The Royal Games of Ur and the Egyptian game of Senat are said to be examples of ancient backgammon type games. The Romans played a game called Ludos Duodecim Scriptorum - ‘The Game of Twelve Lines’ on leather boards, using 30 markers. The Romans took the game to England, where it became known as Tabula or Tables. Different versions of Tabula / Tables were popular in many cultures throughout the Middle Ages, however it is not until around the 17th Century that the word ‘Backgammon’ first appears in English. Some say that the term comes from the Welsh ‘back’ - meaning ‘little’ and ‘gammon’ meaning ‘battle’, others that the name derives from the Saxon ‘bac’ meaning ‘back’ and ‘gamen’ meaning ‘game’. Call us irreverent if you like, but we can’t say that this issue has actually been the subject of burning debate in the Bugle household. Anyway, moving rapidly on….

When we started to try and research this topic we found a fair amount of information on the internet about the general history of Tavli / backgammon, but rather less information about the origins of the game in Greece. This seems surprising, given that Tavli is such an integral part of Greek and Cretan culture. What seems clear, though, is that the game has been played here on the island since ancient times. One resource we would recommend if you want to know more about the different types of Tavli played here is the www.sfakia-crete.com website - and by the way, this website also has a wealth of information about many aspects of Cretan lifestyle, customs and traditions. For more general information about the history of many games, try the www.tradgames.org website. But perhaps the best way to learn about the game is to spend a convivial evening in the company of locals, who will often be more than happy to teach you (and probably comprehensively beat you, too)!

Dice and Cards

Dice and card games tend to be less in the public eye than either tavli or chess. This is partly to do with their association with gambling and Greece’s ostensibly strict gaming laws. It is illegal to gamble outside unlicensed premises. However, once behind closed doors the practice is widespread, particularly during the winter months. You might be surprised at the number of local kafeneions that have back rooms where card games are played away from prying eyes! The ancient Greeks and Romans were enthusiastic gamblers - they played with dice made from animal bones - and modern Greeks are no less passionate about betting. Traditionally, the period between Christmas and New Year is the peak time for gambling here and the stakes are frequently very high. It is not unheard of for people to win and lose businesses on a single throw of the dice or hand of cards. You have been warned!