Ludo Rules

Ludo is a race game for two to four players. Each player moves four tokens from their yard round the board to the centre. First to bring all four home wins.

🎲 Play it now: open Ludo against the computer.

The board

• A cross-shaped track of 52 squares with a coloured yard in each corner (Red, Green, Yellow, Blue) and a home column leading to the centre.
• Each colour has a start square on the track. Start squares, and the ★ squares, are safe squares where tokens cannot be captured.

Starting

Every player begins with four tokens in the yard. On your turn you roll one die. You need to roll a 6 to move a token out of the yard onto your start square.

Moving

• Move one token the number of squares shown, clockwise round the track.
• If you have more than one token that can move, you choose which.
• After a full lap, your token turns into your own coloured home column and moves towards the centre.
• If no move is possible, your turn passes.

Rolling a 6

A 6 gives you another roll after you have moved. Rolling three 6s in a row loses your turn.

Capturing

If you land on a square with a single opponent token (not on a safe square), that token goes back to its yard. In Cheettukali a capture also gives you an extra roll (this can be switched off in the menu).

Reaching home

A token must land exactly on the centre. If your roll is too big, that token cannot move. Reaching the centre also gives an extra roll. The first player to bring all four tokens to the centre wins.

Example: Your token is 3 squares from the centre. You roll a 5, so it cannot move, but you could move another token. On your next turn you roll a 3 and the token lands on the centre exactly.

Strategy tips

• Use safe squares to rest tokens when opponents are close behind.
• Capture tokens that are far round the board: they lose the most progress.
• Avoid ending a move within 1 to 6 squares in front of an opponent on an unsafe square.
• Keep your options open: with two tokens in play a roll is rarely wasted.

Variations

• Starting on any roll: some families let you start on 1 or 6.
• Blocks: two tokens of the same colour on a square form a block that others cannot pass.
• No bonus roll for capture: some play only a 6 gives another turn.
• Ludo is derived from Pachisi, played in India for centuries, and is the same family as Parcheesi.

FAQ