Pachisi
Traditional Pachisi board
Alternate Names
No. of Players
In its most official form, Pachisi is played by four players in two partnerships. Variations allow for two-player games.
Equipment
A Pachisi board, four each of black, red, green, and yellow counters called goti (horses), and six binary dice are required for play. The traditional dice are cowrie shells which should land with an equal probability of the mouth being up or down, but any binary dice may be substituted (coins, half-cylinders, nut halves, etc.) There is a large square in the center, called the charkoni, which is the starting and finishing position of the counters. The board also has twelve positions marked with an x that are designated forts or safe houses.
History
Pachisi is the National Game of India and probably originates there at least by the sixth century CE. There are, however, a few indications that the game may date back to the first century CE. The earliest evidence of this game in India is the depiction of boards on the caves of Ajanta.
The Mogul emperor, Akbar the Great (1542-1605), had very large Pachisi boards in his palace on which he used slave girls for the counters.
Objective
Each player's independent objective is to move all four of their counters completely around the board, counter-clockwise, before their opponents do. The counters start and finish on the charkoni. The game is won by the two partners who manage to get all their counters home first.
Play
There are no standard rules to Pachisi and thus there are many variations to the rules of play. I will here describe one of the more common methods of play. Each of four players commences with all four of their counters positioned in their sector of the charkoni. The player with red counters partners with green and yellow partners with black. Partners sit across from each other. After deciding which player will go first, typically by throwing the dice, alternate turns entail the throwing of the dice to determine how far to move one of one’s own counters or one of his partner’s counters. After the first player’s move, the play passes to the player on his right and moves counterclockwise around the board. The governing of moves is given in the table below where using the traditional six cowrie shells as dice:
Each player may enter a counter from the charkoni with his first throw. Thereafter, counters may only be entered with a grace throw which are those marked with an asterisk in the table above. After a player’s first throw these are the only throws which allow a counter to be entered into the playing board from the Charkoni. In addition, a grace throw entitles a player to an additional throw. The second throw may be used to move the same counter or another one.
A player may move any of his counters with a throw or any of his partner’s counters. A single throw, however, may not be split between two counters. A player may refuse to move any counter on his or her turn after their throw, but cannot move only a portion of their entitlement. Each of the four different players follows a different route around the board, although each is equivalent by symmetry. The route for the player at south is shown below:
Each counter begins the game from the charkoni, travels down the limb of its own home row, rounds the board counter-clockwise, and returns up the middle of its home row to the charkoni. A total of eighty-four spaces constitute a complete circuit around the board for any one counter, starting and ending at the charkoni. On arriving back at the middle of their own home row, a counter may be laid on its side to indicate that it has rounded the board.
A counter whose move ends on a cell occupied by an enemy counter captures that enemy counter and forces it to return to the charkoni, where it must be reentered into play. A counter that is on one of the forts, however, is safe from capture. Thus, a counter whose move ends on an enemy-occupied fort is prohibited from moving on that turn. A player making a capture is entitled to another throw, which may be used to move the same counter or another one.
Two or more counters of the same player or of the same partnership may occupy the same cell. A player, but not a partnership, that has two or more counters occupying the same cell may move them as one man with one throw. Opposing counters may never occupy the same cell. Two or more counters on the same cell are captured and returned to the charkoni when an opposing force that is at least equal in number lands on that cell by exact throw. Again, any amount of counters occupying the fort is safe from capture.
Counters must bear off to the charkoni by exact throw only. If a throw of one is required to bear off, any grace may be used to do so. After bearing off all of one’s own counters, that player is no longer able to play and may only watch the contest that will ensue between his partner and their remaining opponents
Variations
Pachisi games are also played with five or seven cowrie shells as dice. The forward move points governed by these amounts are shown in the table. Again, the graces are marked with an asterisk.
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Shown is the route of the south player’s counters. The east player’s counters start by moving down the east arm and likewise for north and west.
Smaller pachisis board (replace diagram)
Some varieties of Pachisi prohibit more than one counter to be moved as a single counter. This is to prohibit a player from adjoining three or four of his own counters and moving them as an uncapturable unit around the board, which creates a somewhat boring game. A more moderate concept is to prohibit more than two counters to be moved as a single counter while still allowing any amount of friendly counters to occupy the same cell.
Pachisi is an ancient folk game and innumerable variations exist using different rules, different numbers of counters, players or dice and different boards. Six-handed Pachisi boards are not as common as four-handed, but turn up as both folk and marketed variants. Six-handed varieties of Parcheesi, Ludo, and Mensch ärgere dich nicht (all Pachisi variants described below) have all been sold.
Six-handed Pachisi
T'shu-p'u is a small version of Pachisi from China also known as Chatush-pada in India.
T'shu-P'u Opening Position for Four
Chaupar is a more complex version of Pachisi, believed to originate from India around the same time as Pachisi.
Ludo (from Latin ludo, "I play") is a simple Pachisi variant for two, three or four players. Several variations of Pachisi made their way into England during the late 19th century, one which appeared around 1896 under the name of Ludo and was then successfully patented. Each player controls four counters of a distinctive color: green, yellow, blue or red. All four counters start in the large square of their color, or yard, at the corner and attempt to go clockwise around the board and finish at the home square in the middle of the board. To start, each player rolls a single six-sided cubical die and the player with the highest roll gets to start the game. With alternating turns going clockwise around the board, each player rolls the die and attempts to roll a 6. Rolling a 6 allows a player to move one of his counters from the yard onto his starting square, which is the square of his color adjacent to the yard. If a player has no counters in play and does not roll a 6, the turn passes to the next person. After a player has one or more of her tokens in play, her die rolls indicate how far along they move a single counter. Rolling a 6 allows a player to either move one counter ahead six positions or enter a new counter out of their yard. Rolling a 6 also allows a player an additional bonus roll on that turn. If the additional roll shows 6 again, the player earns another roll. If the third roll also shows 6, the player may not move a counter, but instead passes the die to the next player. Players must always move their counter according to the die value indicated, and if no move is possible, pass their turn to the next player.
No more than one counter may ever occupy any cell. A player may not end his move on a square he or she already occupies. If this is the only sort of move available to a player, their move is forfeit and the die is passed to the next player. If a player ends his or her turn by landing at a cell occupied by the opponent, the opponent counter is captured and returned to its owner’s yard. The captured counter may then only be reentered into the game with a roll of 6 by its owner. Unlike Pachisi, there are no safe squares in Ludo along the main track which protect counters from being captured. A player’s home column, however is always safe as no opposing counter may enter them.
Some variations of Ludo allow doubling up of friendly counters on the same cell and have different rules that pertain to these “twins”, mostly inspired by the same situation in Pachisi. There are also six-handed variations, variations with larger or smaller boards, and variations with safe squares, where counters cannot be captured.
Ludo Board
Parcheesi board
Parcheesi, originally called Patcheesi, is an American copyrighted variation of Pachisi. The game appeared in marketed versions as early as the 1850’s. Rights to sell it passed through several hands before eventually coming to Elisha Selchow and the games manufacturing company Selchow & Righter. It was successfully marketed through them until 1986 when the company was bought out. The standard board has four arms for up to four players and sixty-eight cells around the perimeter of the board, twelve of which are marked as safe places. There are however, older versions and variations for children that have more arms and/or less cells. Two, three, or four people play, each controlling four counters of a distinctive color and throwing two dice per turn. A player starts with all of their counters in their nest, at the corners of the board. For example, blue starts at the nest at the top left corner on the board shown here. Blue counters enter the board at the starting square indicated where the arrow comes out of the nest from green to indicate the direction of flow on the track of the board, which is counter-clockwise. The board game should be positioned so that each player's nest is to his right. To start, each player rolls a die to determine which player goes first. The highest number rolls first and after that subsequent play continues to the left. To enter a counter onto the board at their starting square, a player must roll a 5, either singly or as a total of the two dice. At any time that a player rolls a 5, they are required to enter a new counter onto the board if they are able to do so.
After a player has entered at least one counter, all subsequent dice throws are used to determine how far a player may move his entered counters. One counter may be moved the total number of spaces of both dice, or the move may be split between two counters with one counter moving the distance indicated on one die and another moving the distance on the other die. If an amount on one or both of the dice cannot be moved, that amount is forfeited.
Counters that are not on safe places may be captured by opposing counters that land on them by exact throw. A counter that is captured is returned to its nest and must then be reentered in the normal way. In addition, the capturing player is rewarded twenty bonus spaces for capturing. These twenty moves must be used immediately by a single counter, if no single counter is able to move the required twenty spaces they are forfeit. Safe places almost always prohibit a counter from being captured. The only exception is when a counter sits on a safe place where another player enters the board from his nest. These places are safe from all other players, but the counter can be taken by a counter entering from its adjacent nest if that player rolls a 5.
Parcheesi allows the formation of blockades (sometimes called “twins” in other variations). A blockade occurs when two counters of the same color or team come to occupy the same space. These two counters are part of a blockade and cannot be captured. In addition, the also prohibit any counters behind them from advancing beyond the doubly occupied space including counters attempting to leave their nest if the blockade is at the entrance.
If, on their turn, a player rolls doubles they are granted an extra roll. If a player that rolls doubles has all four of their counters on the board and off of their nest they are granted an additional bonus: they are allowed to also use the numbers on the bottoms of the dice as well (the total of four always adds up to 14). Rolling doubles three times in a row is not a good thing in Parcheesi. Immediately after this happens the rolling player is required to remove his counter closest to home back to its nest and his turn ends without any more advancement of counters.
After a counter rounds the entire perimeter of the board, it will turn left into its home row. Other than the twelve safe places on the board, the home row is the only safe area where a counter can no longer be captured by opposing counters, as they cannot enter this area. Counters may still move a distance dictated by dice throw in the home row, but the home area at the center of the board may only be entered by exact throw. Also, a counter can still be removed from the home row as a result of the penalty for rolling three consecutive doubles. Once a player enters one of their counters into the home area, they are also rewarded an additional ten movement points that may be spent on any one of their counters that are still in play. If all ten of the movement points cannot be spent on a single counter they are forfeit. The first player to get all four counters into the home area is the winner. The game may continue after this to determine rank.
Parchís Is a variant from Spain that is remarkably similar to American Parcheesi and likely to be descended from it, rather than directly from the original Indian game. It is sold license-free there in Spain
Puchese was probably an early Pachisi variant from England. It was patented there in 1862 making it one of the earliest such variants to be patented and possibly the first patented version in the Old World, but little to nothing is known of it beyond this.
Patchesi, also called Homeward Bound, is an early English Pachisi variant, with copies being sold as early as 1863. The playing area of the board is mostly identical with Pachisi, the only notable difference being that the two upper safe squares on each arm have been moved towards the center one cell. Each player controls four counters of a distinctive color that start in the triangular starting fields at the sides of the board. With alternating turns, each player throws a single die and attempts to throw a five and enter a counter onto the track. Counters are entered at the colored cell of their color that has the star rosette on it and is at the immediate left of their triangular starting field. After a counter has been entered, any of its owner’s rolls dictate how far along the track it moves. A roll of 6, however, allows a player to move forward twelve move points and also entitles the player to roll again for an extra turn. Two counters of the same color may lie on the same square and they form a barrier prohibiting any opposing counter from passing. Three counters may not be placed on the same square. Patchesi rules also prohibit passing a counter of one’s own color. If no legal moves are available to a player, their turn is forfeit. The first player to attain the central position with all four of their counters is the victor. The official rules also describe play for four with partnerships, where one team wins when all of eight of its counters achieve the home position.
Mensch ärgere dich nicht ("Don’t get angry, buddy") is a German Pachisi variant developed by Josef Friedrich Schmidt in 1907/1908 and first marketed in 1914. A successful product, it has widespread marketing in Europe with equivalent names in Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, Serbian, Russian, Slovak, Slovene, and Polish. In Sweden it is known as "Fia-spel" (Fia derived from the Latin word fiat, "so be it", and spel is "game"). The game may be played by two, three, or four players with each player controlling four counters that start in the four corner cells of their color.Players take turns throwing a single die and must throw a six to enter onto the larger cell of their color to the right of their starting cells. Throwing a six requires a player to enter a counter if they are able to do so. This entry location is the only safe spot for a counter and it is only safe for a counter of that color (other than a player’s home row which opposing counters may not enter). Throwing a six also allows a player to throw again. Counters circle the perimeter of the board clockwise and move as dictated by throw of the die. Opposing counters are captured and sent back to their starting cell when landed on by exact throw. The capturing player is then supposed to say, “Don’t get angry, buddy!” or the local equivalent phrase. After circling the entire perimeter, a counter turns right into its home row. The first player with all of their counters in their home row is the victor.
Patchesi board
Mensch ärgere dich nicht board
Chinesenspiel (“The Chinamen’s Game”) is a nineteenth century German Pachisi variant. It is an extremely simplistic children’s Pachisi vaiant played with a single counter for two-four players. Each player starts at the corner cell that is marked with their color. A single cubical die is thrown on each player’s turn. The die has one side showing each of the four colors of the game board and pieces and two sides that are white. A player who rolls his own color may move forward one square. Throwing the opponent’s color requires the player to pass the die to the next person. Throwing a white side allows a player to roll again. The first player to traverse the perimeter of the board and up the bridge to center is the winner.
Chinesenspiel board
Sorry!, like Chinesenspiel, replaces the traditional cruciform track of Pachisi and its descendants with a peripheral square one. Originally patented in England in 1929, it has subsequently been sold by Waddingtons, Parker Brothers and Hasbro. The name derives from the concept of apologizing to the player, perhaps sarcastically, for landing on their counter and sending it back to its Start. The chief difference between it and other Pachisi variants is that the dice are replaced with playing cards. The numbers on the cards indicate not only forward move points (1 through 12, omitting 6 and 9), but also carry bonuses and penalties that require or allow a player to move backwards, split a move between counters, or trade places with an opponent. Also in the deck is a "Sorry" card which allows a player to take a counter from their home and replace it with an opponent's counter already on the track, thereby sending the opponent back to its home. Another concept in Sorry! is the addition of slides along the board which allow a player that lands at one end to advance forward to the end of the slide, as in Snakes & Ladders.
Aggravation is much akin to a six-handed Ludo that is usually played with marbles. Four-handed versions are mostly older, but have been marketed as well. It was first produced in 1962 by CO-5 Company. Today, it is manufactured by Hasbro. The notable difference from Ludo is that the board has shortcuts at the four interior corners of the track called Star Holes. A marble landing by exact count at one of the Star Holes may, on the player's next turn, jump from Star Hole to Star Hole around the board, counting those jumps as part of the move and skipping all of the intervening positions to exit back onto the track at the Star Hole of the player's choice (probably the one closest to their home). Landing on a position occupied by the opponent allows a player to send the opponent's counter back to its starting area. In this game this is called aggravating the opponent, thus the name of the game.
Trouble is a simplistic or child-like and commercial extension of Pachisi. It resembles Sorry! or Chinesenspiel in its simplicity. It was first developed by the Kohner Brothers and initially manufactured by Irwin Toy Ltd., later by Milton Bradley (now part of Hasbro). The game was launched in the United States in 1965. The most notable feature is the “Pop-O-Matic” die container at the center of the board, a clear plastic hemisphere or bubble that contains the die. The die is “rolled” by tapping a button, one of which is at each player’s side, and springs a flexible sheet the die sits on inside the bubble. Not only does this prohibit the die from becoming lost, but adds fun to throwing the dice.
Coppit, originally called Fang den Hut (“Capture the Hat” or, more playfully, “Trap the Cap”) in German and has been sold under a wide variety of names since first marketed in 1927 including Chapeau ... chapeau! (France), and Headache (America). It is a German modification of the Pachisi principle, with an additional rules common to Running Fight games. The objective is not to attain the central position as in other Pachisi variants, but to capture, by stack and tow, opposing counters, called hats or caps) and tow them back to your starting square. In one version of the game, the winner is the player who captured the most caps of other colors during the course of the game, while another version awards victory to the player who is the last to have active caps left on the board. Each player controls four counters of a distinctive color at the start of the game. The counters are shaped like hollow cones to facilitate stacking them and they may be stacked several high with differing colors. The player at the top of the stack controls the stack. Two cubical dice are thrown to facilitate movement. Both four-handed and six-handed version have been marketed.
Parqués is the Colombian version of a board game in the cross and circle family (the category that includes Pachisi). The game is described as a "random thinking" game: the moves depend on the roll of the dice but players must consider possible strategies before executing their move. The objective of the game is to advance all the pieces to the end.
Sources
Parlett, David. The Oxford History of Board Games. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999.
Provenzo, Asterie Baker and Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr. Play It Again, Historic Board Games You Can Make and Play. Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1981. ISBN 0-13-683367-5