Ludo rules: how to play
Ludo is a race around the board. Each player has four tokens of one colour. You roll a die and move a token that many squares. The first player to bring all four tokens home wins.
The game comes from pachisi, an old game from India, and has been played in Britain since the 1890s.
These are the rules most players use in Poland. Much of Europe plays nearly the same game under other names. The differences in British Ludo, such as blocks and the three-sixes rule, are covered as a variant. Agree on your rules before you start.
- Players
- 2-4
- Playing time
- 20-40 min
- What you need
- A board, one die and 16 tokens (4 in each of four colours)
Updated: 2 November 2026
The board and setup
A track of squares runs around the board. Each corner has a yard where one player's tokens wait. Next to each yard is a start square in the same colour. A row of four home squares in that colour leads from the track to the centre.
- Each player picks a colour and puts four tokens in that yard.
- Everyone rolls the die once, and the highest roller goes first. Players who tie roll again. This roll only decides who starts. That player then begins with a normal turn.
- Play passes clockwise, and tokens move clockwise too.
Getting out of the yard
A token can only leave the yard on a six. Put it on your start square. Then roll again and make a normal move.
Sometimes you have no tokens on the track, because they are all in your yard or your home. Then you get up to three rolls a turn. Keep rolling until a six comes up. If you get no six in three rolls, your turn ends. This happens at the start of the game and after your last token on the track is captured. It also happens when your last token on the track reaches home.
Once you have a token on the track, you roll only once. A six then gives you a choice: bring out a new token or move a token six squares.
A new token can only come out onto a free start square. If one of your own tokens is standing there, you cannot bring out another until it has moved off. If an opponent's token is there, your new token captures it.
Your turn
Roll the die and move one of your tokens that many squares. You cannot split a roll between two tokens.
After a six, roll again. Each roll is a separate move, so you can use it for the same token or another one. Every new six gives you one more roll.
Tokens may jump over other tokens, both yours and your opponents'. Count every square, including occupied ones.
Only one token may stand on a square, so you cannot end a move on your own token. If you end on an opponent's token, you capture it (see Capturing).
If you can move, you must. If none of your tokens can move, you lose that roll.
Capturing
You capture an opponent's token by ending your move exactly on its square. The captured token goes back to its yard. Its owner needs another six to bring it out again.
A token you jump over stays where it is. Capturing is not compulsory, so you may move another token instead. A capture does not earn you an extra roll.
Only the home squares are safe, because no one but their owner may enter them. A token can be captured anywhere on the track, including on a start square.
Getting home
Each token travels once round the board. At the end of the track it turns towards the centre and moves onto its own home squares. No one may enter another player's home squares.
You need an exact roll to get in. The roll must bring the token onto a free home square. A token cannot go past the last home square. If the roll is too high, move another token or lose the roll.
You do not have to fill the home squares in order. Inside your home you may jump over your own tokens. A token already at home can move further in if the roll lands it on a free square.
Winning
The first player to bring all four tokens home wins. The others can play on for the remaining places. The game ends when only one player still has tokens outside their home.
Variants
British Ludo
A British board has a longer track and five home squares, which end in a triangle in the centre. You also need an exact roll to reach the triangle. The other differences:
- You get only one roll for a six, even at the start of the game.
- A third six in a row is lost. You do not move, and your turn ends.
- Two of your tokens may share a square. Together they form a block, which cannot be captured. An opponent's token that lands on a block goes back to its own yard.
- At many tables, opponents may not jump over a block either.
Out on a one or a six
A token can leave the yard on a one or a six. Only a six gives an extra roll. This shortens the wait at the start, which suits young children.
Bouncing back
The roll to get home does not have to be exact. If it is too high, the token goes to the last home square and counts back the rest. If it then lands on an occupied square, it cannot go in.
No capturing
Nobody captures. If your move would end on an occupied square, stop on the next free square after it. Families often play this way with young children.
Frequent questions
Do you need a six to start in Ludo?
Yes. In the basic rules a token leaves the yard only on a six. Many families let a one count too when they play with young children. See the variant "Out on a one or a six".
How many tries do you get to roll a six?
Three, when you have no tokens on the track and they are all in your yard or your home. That is the case at the start and after your last token on the track is captured. It is also the case when your last token on the track reaches home. Once a token is on the track, you roll once.
Do you roll again after a six?
Yes, after every six. Make your move first, then roll again. The new roll is a separate move, so you can use it for another token. Some tables add the two rolls together for one token, but that is a house rule.
What happens if you roll three sixes in a row?
In the basic rules, nothing special: you keep rolling. In British Ludo the third six is lost and your turn ends. Some editions give only one extra roll, however many sixes you roll.
How do you capture in Ludo?
End your move on the square of an opponent's token. That token goes back to its yard and needs a six to come out again. A token you only jump over stays put.
Do you get an extra turn for capturing?
Not in the basic rules. Some ludo apps give one. If your group is used to it, agree on it before you start.
Do you have to capture if you can?
No. You may move another token instead. Some groups make capturing compulsory, so agree on it before you start.
Can two of your tokens share a square?
Not in the basic rules. Only one token may stand on a square, so you have to make another move. You may jump over your own tokens, though. In British Ludo two tokens on one square form a block. See the variant "British Ludo".
Do you need an exact roll to get home?
Yes. The token must land exactly on a free home square. If the roll is too high, move another token or lose the roll. Some tables let the token bounce back instead. See the variant "Bouncing back".
Do you have to bring out a token when you roll a six?
No. You may bring out a new token or move another one six squares. Keep in mind that your own token on the start square stops the next one from coming out.
Is a token safe on its start square?
Not in the basic rules. Only the home squares are safe. If an opponent's token is on your start square when you bring out a token, you capture it. Some tables treat start squares as safe, so agree on it first.
Who goes first in Ludo?
The player who rolls highest. Many rulebooks let the youngest player start instead. Either way works.
What if you cannot move?
You lose that roll, and play passes on. If the roll was a six, you still roll again.
Can you play Ludo with two players?
Yes. Sit on opposite sides of the board. Some players take two colours each and play with eight tokens.
Why are there so many different Ludo rules?
Ludo is one branch of an old family of race games, and each country plays it a little differently. In Poland it is called chińczyk. In Britain, blocks and the three-sixes rule are common. This page gives the Polish rules first, with British Ludo as a variant.
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