Gulbara is a game of walls, not hits. Both players run the same way around the board, nothing can be hit, and a single checker closes a point. Good Gulbara strategy is about where you put those walls, and about the doubles that cascade later in the game.
The rules that shape the strategy
Each player starts with all 15 checkers on one corner point, diagonally opposite the other. There is no hitting and no bar. A point with even one checker is closed to the opponent. From each player’s fourth roll, a double cascades: 3-3 plays four 3s, then four 4s, 5s and 6s.
Every checker is a wall
Since one checker is enough to hold a point, spreading out is strong. Each checker you move off the start blocks a point your opponent might need. Keeping too many checkers on the start point wastes them.
Block where your opponent starts
Your opponent’s first steps go through the quarter just after their starting point, which is the third quarter of your own journey. Points you hold there slow them the most. Several closed points in a row make a wall they can’t cross; on ZAR there is no limit, so even six in a row is allowed.
Keep room for the cascade
A cascading double can move a dozen checkers in one turn, and if you can’t finish it, your opponent plays the rest before their own turn. So keep open landing points ahead of your checkers, and don’t block yourself in. A cramped position turns your big double into your opponent’s.
Know when to race
Once the walls break up, Gulbara becomes a race home. Bring the stragglers first, and bear off as in backgammon. If your opponent has borne off none when you finish, you win a mars: 2 points.