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Ludo names and variants: Pachisi, Parcheesi, Ludo King and more

Ask for "Ludo" in London, Dhaka, Berlin or Madrid and you may get four different games. They share an ancestor, a cross-shaped board and a die, but each country has its own name and rules. This guide sorts out the family.

The parent: Pachisi (and Chaupar)

Pachisi is the Indian game from which the rest descend. It is played on a cross-shaped board, traditionally cloth, with cowrie shells instead of dice, and with four players often in two partnerships. Its name comes from the Hindi word for twenty-five, the highest throw. Chaupar (also spelled chausar) is a close relative with a similar cross board, played with long dice. Both are described in the history of Ludo.

Ludo

Ludo is the English simplification of Pachisi: one six-sided die, a printed square board, four tokens each and no partnerships. It was patented in England in the 1890s, as Royal Ludo. When someone in Britain, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or most of the Commonwealth says "Ludo", this is the game they mean. The rules are set out in Ludo rules.

Parcheesi

Parcheesi is the American brand-name version of Pachisi. It uses two dice and a 68-space track with twelve safe spaces. A token leaves its nest on a five, whether on one die or as the total of two. Two pieces of the same colour on a space form a blockade that no piece may pass. Parcheesi is the best-known Pachisi game in North America, and Parcheesi is a brand name, so other makers sell the same family of game as "Pachisi".

Mensch ärgere Dich nicht

The German relative, whose name means "Man, don't get angry", dates from 1907 to 1914 and has sold tens of millions of copies. It has no safe squares at all. You roll up to three times for a six while all your tokens are in the yard, and in some versions you must capture if you can. It is known by translated names: Mens erger je niet (Dutch), Člověče, nezlob se! (Czech), T'en fais pas (French), Non t'arrabbiare (Italian) and Kızma birader (Turkish).

Other regional cousins

Name	Where	What is different
Parchís	Spain, northern Morocco	Two dice, five to start, 20-square bonus for a capture
Parqués	Colombia	Doubles to leave the jail; three doubles in a row sends a token home
Jeu des petits chevaux	France	Horse-racing theme, six to start, no safe squares
Fia (Fia med knuff)	Sweden	A one or a six frees a token
Cờ cá ngựa	Vietnam	Horse-race theme, two dice, a one or a six frees a token
Uckers	Royal Navy	Played two against two, with pairs of tokens that block opponents
Aeroplane chess	China	Aeroplane tokens, coloured cells, jumps and shortcuts
Riču-Raču	Latvia	A larger board with seven home squares

Games such as Sorry! and Trouble also borrow from Pachisi but add cards or a pop-up die.

Variants within Ludo itself

Classic Ludo: one die, six to start, six rolls again, exact finish.
Quick Ludo: any number brings a token out of the yard. The game is shorter and less dependent on one number.
Ludo Teams: four players as two teams, partners sit opposite and do not capture each other.
Indian Ludo: usually one die, with a star on a square in each quarter to mark safe squares.
Pakistani Ludo: reported to use two dice and to allow tokens to move backwards.
African variants: reported with doubled blocks, partner exchanges and a bonus roll after a capture.

Ludo King and Ludo Star

Two of the best-known names today are not board variants but apps. Ludo King is a mobile game by Gametion of Navi Mumbai, launched in 2016, with modes against the computer, local, online, and private rooms with friends, plus Snakes and Ladders. Ludo Star is a mobile game by Gameberry Labs, an Indian studio, which has been especially popular in the Middle East and North Africa and in Asia and the Pacific. Both follow the Ludo of a single die and a six to start. Neither name refers to a different set of rules for the board game. If a relative asks you to "play Ludo King", they mean Ludo.

Snakes and Ladders

This is a separate game, but it grew up beside Ludo and is often sold in the same box. Ancient India knew it as Moksha Patam, and it is called Saanp Seedhi in Hindi, Shap Shiri in West Bengal, Shapludu in Bangladesh, and Vaikunthapali in Telugu. Players race along a numbered track of 100 squares with one die; ladders lift you and snakes drop you. Milton Bradley's American version is Chutes and Ladders. LudoTalk plays it with the same live voice call as Ludo.

Which should you play?

If you want the game most people mean, play classic Ludo. For a quick game, try Quick Ludo. For partners, pick Ludo Teams. For a wilder game, try the other Pachisi games. When you start a game, agree on which rules apply: most Ludo arguments are about house rules. To try the different forms, play Ludo online with friends.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pachisi the same as Ludo?

No, but Ludo is a simplified version of it. Pachisi uses cowrie shells, a cloth cross and often partnerships. Ludo uses one die, a printed board and four separate players.

What is the difference between Ludo and Parcheesi?

Parcheesi uses two dice, blockades and a five to leave the nest, with a longer track. Ludo uses one die and a six to start, and two tokens together have no special power.

Are Ludo King and Ludo Star different games?

They are different apps by different companies, not different rule sets. Both play the usual one-die Ludo, with their own modes, themes and prizes.

Sources

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How to play LudoSetup, rolling a six, moving and winning, in five minutes Ludo rulesThe standard rules, step by step, and the common variations Dice and safe squaresThe odds of a six, extra turns, and where tokens are safe Strategy and tipsWhich token to move, when to hunt, and how to defend Board and equipmentThe cross-shaped board, its squares, tokens and dice History of LudoFrom Indian courts to Victorian parlours to phone screens Play Ludo onlineLudoTalk: free, in your browser, with live voice