Last updated:
2 February 2024
1. Equipment
A Ludo board is square with a pattern on it in the shape of a cross, each arm being divided into three adjacent columns of eight squares. The middle squares form the home column for each colour and cannot be landed upon by other colours. The middle of the cross forms a large square which is the 'home' area and which is divided into 4 home triangles, one of each colour. At each corner, separate to the main circuit are coloured circles (or squares) where the pieces/pawns are placed to begin.
Counters start their circuit one square in from the end of the arm and adjacent to the starting circle.
The starting square, the starting circle, the home triangle and all the home column squares are coloured to match the corresponding pieces/pawns.
Each player chooses one of the 4 colours (green, yellow, red or blue) and places the 4 pieces/pawns of that colour in the corresponding starting circle. A single die is thrown to determine movement.
2. Play
Players take turns in a clockwise order.
A piece/pawn will start with a throw of a 6 only. Three consecutive sixes will result in the play being passed on to the next player.
Each throw, the player decides which piece/pawn to move. A piece/pawn simply moves in a clockwise direction around the track given by the number thrown. If no piece/pawn can legally move according to the number thrown, play passes to the next player.
A throw of 6 gives another turn.
A player must throw a 6 to move a piece/pawn from the starting circle onto the first square on the track. The piece/pawn moves 6 squares around the circuit beginning with the appropriately coloured start square (and the player then has another turn).
If a piece/pawn lands on a piece/pawn of a different colour, the piece/pawn jumped upon is returned to its starting circle, also referred to as 'cutting the opponent's pawn'.
If a piece/pawn lands upon a piece/pawn of the same colour, this forms a block. This block cannot be passed or landed on by any opposing piece/pawn.
3. Winning
When a piece/pawn has circumnavigated the board, it proceeds up the home column. A piece/pawn can only be moved onto the home triangle by an exact throw.
The first person to move all 4 pieces/pawns into the home triangle wins.
In the normal variant of Ludo, it is not required for a player to cut another player's piece/pawn in order to enter its home.
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