🎓 How to Play Parchis – Rules, Strategy & How to Win

Parchis is a popular Spanish board game derived from the Indian game Pachisi. It’s similar to Ludo but includes more strategic depth — including blockades, bonus captures, and flexible dice movement. The objective is simple: move all four of your tokens around the board and into the home zone before anyone else.

🎮 Game Objective

Be the first player to move all four tokens from your starting circle, around the board, and into your home zone. Use smart movement, strategic blocking, and tactical capturing to outplay your opponents.

🧩 Game Breakdown

1. 🛠 Setup

• Each player picks a color and places their four tokens in the matching starting circle.
  
  
• The board features four paths, one per player, and a central home area.
  
  
• Certain squares are marked as safe spaces — these protect tokens from being captured.
  
  

2. 🎲 Gameplay

• Players take turns rolling two dice.
  
  
• To move a token from the starting circle onto the board, you must roll a 5, either on one die or as the sum of both dice (e.g., 2+3).
  
  
• Once on the board, tokens move clockwise along the track based on the roll:
  
  
  • You can use the sum of both dice for one token
    
    
  • Or use each die separately to move two tokens.
    
    
• Rolling doubles usually grants extra moves or a bonus turn (depending on the variant).
  
  
• Landing on an opponent’s token (not on a safe space) sends it back to their start.
  
  
• Two of your tokens on the same square form a blockade:
  
  
  • No token (not even your own) can pass through it.
    
    
  • Blockades add a strong defensive layer to your strategy.
    
    

3. 🏁 Reaching Home

• After completing a full circuit, your token enters the final home path (same color as your token).
  
  
• You must roll the exact number to land in the final home square.
  
  
• Tokens that overshoot must wait until a precise roll is made.
  
  

4. 🏆 How to Win

The winner is the first player to get all four tokens into their home zone. Use a mix of luck, timing, and strategy to navigate the board and keep your tokens safe.

🧠 Key Rules Recap

• 5 to Enter: Roll a 5 (single or total) to bring a token out of the start.
  
  
• Capturing: Land on an enemy token to send it back — unless it’s on a safe space.
  
  
• Safe Spaces: Marked spots that protect any token on them from being captured.
  
  
• Blockades: Two tokens of the same color on a square block all movement through it.
  
  
• Doubles: Rolling doubles can unlock extra moves or bonuses depending on house rules.