How do you play Ludo?
Ludo is a board game for two to four players who take turns rolling one die, march their four pieces once around the board and race to get all of them into the centre first. It is a simplified version of the Indian game Pachisi that became popular in England under the name Ludo.
The board is a cross with a red, green, yellow and blue yard in the corners. Pieces wait in the yard until a 6 lets them out onto their coloured start square, and from then on they move clockwise by the number rolled. After almost a full lap of the 52 square track a piece turns into its own home column, and five squares later it reaches the centre triangle and is home.
What are the exact Ludo rules here?
This version uses the most common rule set: a 6 to start, a 6 rolls again, captures send pieces home, two of a colour make a block and the finish needs an exact roll.
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| Starting | A piece in the yard needs a 6 to come out onto the start square |
| Rolling a 6 | Move, then roll again. A third 6 in a row cannot be used and the turn passes |
| Capturing | End exactly on a square with a single rival piece and it returns to its yard. The capturer rolls again |
| Safe squares | Star squares and the four start squares cannot be captured on, and different colours may share them |
| Blocks | Two or more pieces of one colour on a square stop every other colour from passing or landing there |
| Home column | Rivals can never enter your column. A roll larger than the squares left cannot move that piece |
| Reaching home | A piece that reaches the centre earns another roll. Get all four in to win |
| No legal move | The turn passes, unless you rolled a 6, in which case you roll again |
The game ends as soon as one player has all four pieces home. The other places are ranked by pieces home and then by how far the remaining pieces have travelled.
How many people can play?
Two, three or four. Against the computer you play Red and one to three computer players join in. Choose Pass and play and every colour is human, so you hand one phone or tablet around.
With two players Red races Yellow from opposite corners. Three players use Red, Green and Yellow, and four use every colour. The yard of the colour to move glows and the bar at the bottom says whose turn it is.
How do the Easy, Normal and Hard computers differ?
Easy is a gentle opponent that moves a random piece about half the time. Normal looks after captures, getting home and leaving the yard first. Hard ranks captures, safe squares and blocks, and also works out how likely a piece is to be hit if it stops one to six squares in front of an enemy.
- Hard captures: the further a rival piece has travelled, the more it is worth hitting.
- Hard safety: pieces in danger run to star squares, and risky squares are avoided.
- Hard blocks: it pairs pieces up to wall off enemies and is slow to break a block it already holds.
How does Ludo compare with Pachisi and Yut?
All three are race games where you move by a throw, circle the board and knock rival pieces back. They differ in what you throw and whether the board has shortcuts.
| Game | Thrown | Board and features |
|---|---|---|
| Ludo | One die (1 to 6) | Cross board with a 52 square track, 6 to start, safe stars, blocks of two |
| Pachisi | Six or seven cowrie shells | Cloth cross board, pieces start and finish in the centre, often played in partnerships |
| Yut | Four throwing sticks | 29 spot board with diagonal shortcuts, pieces can ride together, the best throws roll again |
Stacking pieces in Yut looks like a Ludo block, but stacked Yut pieces move together as one, while a Ludo block is just pieces standing together as a wall. Yut rewards reading the shortcuts on the board, and Ludo is all about waiting for that 6 and the swings of capturing and being captured.
Any tips for winning at Ludo?
- Get several pieces out early. With only one piece on the track you have no choice and may be forced onto a bad square.
- Avoid the six squares in front of an enemy. From there one roll can hit you. Seven or more squares away, or a star square, is much safer.
- Capture when you can. The rival has to roll a 6 and start the lap again, and you get another roll.
- Blocks work best near a rival's start square. Freshly released enemy pieces get stuck behind them.
- No need to hurry in the home column. Nothing can hit you there, so look after the pieces still out on the track.
Controls
- Phone or mouse: on your turn tap the die in your glowing yard. It rolls into the middle of the board, then movable pieces glow. Tap a piece or its dotted target ring to move.
- Keyboard: Space or Enter rolls, 1 to 4 picks a piece directly, arrow keys switch pieces and Enter moves.
- Auto button: when on, a lone possible move is played for you to keep the game quick. Toggle it at the top right any time.
Your wins against each computer level are stored only in this browser and never sent to a server. There is no betting of any kind, and every roll is fresh from the browser's random generator.