---
title: Plakoto
slug: plakoto
board: "24-point board"
players: "2"
parent: backgammon
order: 4
win: Bear off all 15 pieces before your opponent
special: "Pin instead of hit: landing on a blot traps it under your piece. Trapped pieces cannot move until released."
engine:
  topology:
    type: track
    positions: 24
  players: [white, black]
  setup: "0:15B,23:15W"
---

## Plakoto

A Greek Backgammon variant in which landing on a lone opponent piece does not send it to the bar — instead, it pins it. A pinned piece cannot move until the piece pinning it moves away. Plakoto is one of the three Greek games (with Fevga and Portes) played together as Tavli, a set of three consecutive games scored together.


{{svg:plakoto-board.svg "Plakoto — starting position"}}
### Components

| Item | Qty | Notes |
|------|-----|-------|
| **Board** | 1 | 24-point board |
| **Checkers** | 30 | 15 per player |
| **Dice** | 4 | 2 per player |

### Setup

Both players start with all 15 checkers on point 24 (from each player's perspective). Both players move in the same direction: counter-clockwise, from point 24 to point 1.

### Movement

Movement is the same as standard Backgammon except for the pinning rule below. Roll two dice each turn and move forward.

### Pinning

If you land on a point occupied by exactly one opponent checker, that checker is pinned beneath yours. The pinned piece cannot move for as long as your piece remains on that point.

- A pinned piece is still on the board but immobile.
- You may stack additional pieces on a pinned piece. The opponent's piece remains pinned until all of your pieces leave that point.
- You cannot pin a piece that is already occupied by two or more opponent pieces (that point is closed to you).

### Winning Immediately

If you pin the opponent's last piece on their starting point (their 24-point), you win immediately without completing bear-off.

### Blocking

A point with 2 or more of your checkers is closed. Opponent pieces cannot land on it. Pinning is only possible on points with exactly 1 opponent piece.

### Bearing Off

Once all 15 of your pieces are in your home board (points 1–6), bear off normally.

### Winning

First to bear off all 15 pieces wins. Winning while the opponent's last piece is pinned on their starting point is also a win.

### Attribution

Plakoto. Traditional game, Greece. Part of the Tavli family. Public domain. Source: Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA).