Ludo Rules: How to Play Ludo Board Game

These ludo rules explain how to play the classic race game that almost every Indian home has on a shelf. Ludo comes from the ancient Indian game of pachisi, and it is still a favourite for family evenings, summer holidays and train journeys. The aim is simple: move your four tokens all the way round the board and home before anyone else. Below you will find the standard ludo game rules, how cutting and safe squares work, and the house rules that change from family to family, so you can agree on them before the first throw.

Quick rules

• Each player has four tokens of one colour, starting in their yard.
• Throw a six to bring a token out onto your starting square.
• Move a token forward by the number on the die. A six gives you another throw.
• Land exactly on an opponent's token to cut it and send it back to its yard.
• Tokens on safe squares (usually marked with a star) cannot be cut.
• After one full lap, move up your own coloured home column and into the centre with an exact throw.
• The first player to get all four tokens home wins.

What you need

• A ludo board: a cross-shaped track of 52 squares around a central home triangle, with a coloured yard in each corner.
• Four tokens each in red, green, yellow and blue.
• One standard die, and a cup for shaking it if you like.

No die to hand? Use this dice roller:

Setup

Each player chooses a colour and puts their four tokens in the yard of that colour. With two players, sit opposite each other. Each player throws the die once; the highest throw starts, and play then passes clockwise. Each colour has a starting square just outside its yard, normally coloured to match, and a home column of five coloured squares leading to the centre.

How to play

Opening a token

1. On your turn, throw the die. You need a six to move a token out of your yard onto your starting square.
2. If you have no tokens on the board and you do not throw a six, your turn ends.
3. A six always earns another throw. You may use it to open another token or to move one already on the board.

Moving

1. Move one token forward, clockwise round the track, by the number thrown. You cannot split a throw between two tokens.
2. If no token can move legally, your turn passes.
3. In the standard rules, three sixes in a row cancel your turn: the third six is not played and play passes to the next player.
4. Two of your own tokens may share a square.

Cutting (capturing)

1. If your token lands exactly on a square held by a single opponent token, that token is cut and goes back to its owner's yard. It must wait for another six to come out.
2. You cannot cut a token resting on a safe square. Safe squares are the four coloured starting squares and, on most Indian boards, four star squares.
3. In most Indian homes, cutting a token earns you an extra throw.

Reaching home

1. When your token has gone almost a full lap and reaches the square before your home column, it turns into the column instead of continuing round.
2. Tokens in the home column are safe from cutting.
3. You need the exact number to land in the centre home triangle. If the throw is too high, that token cannot move; you may move another token instead.
4. Many players give an extra throw when a token reaches home.

Scoring

Ludo has no points: it is a race. When playing several games in an evening, keep a simple tally:

The scorekeeper makes it easy to track a ludo series across several games.

How to win

The first player to bring all four tokens into the home triangle wins. Others may carry on to decide second and third place.

Variations

• Opening with a one: some families let a one or a six open a token, which speeds up the start.
• Blocks: in many Indian homes, two tokens of the same colour on one square form a block (a "joda") that no opponent can pass or cut.
• Must cut to enter home: a popular rule says you cannot enter your home column until you have cut at least one opponent token.
• Team ludo: four players play in pairs, partners sitting opposite, and a team wins when all eight of its tokens are home.
• Quick ludo: each player starts with one token already on the starting square, or the game ends when the first token of any player reaches home.
• Online versions: many apps use a timer, a score system or fewer tokens. These are variations, not the classic board rules.

Tips and strategy

• Open several tokens early so you always have a choice of moves.
• Rest on safe squares when an opponent is within six squares behind you.
• Count the distance to opponent tokens before you move. Landing one to six squares in front of them is risky.
• Do not rush one token home while the others sit in the yard; spread your progress.
• Use a six to cut an opponent token near its home, as that sets them back the most.

House rules to agree first

• Does cutting or reaching home give an extra throw?
• Are blocks allowed, and can a block be passed?
• Do three sixes cancel the turn?
• Must a player cut a token before entering the home column?

Looking for more classic board games? Read our snakes and ladders rules, carrom rules and Chinese checkers rules, or explore more Indian traditional games.