How does capturing work in Ludo?
Capturing is the sharpest weapon in Ludo. One good landing can undo an opponent's whole trip around the board. The rule itself is simple, but where captures are allowed - and what you get for them - changes from variant to variant.
The basic capture rule
On your turn, if your token finishes its move on a normal track square that holds a single enemy token, that token is captured. It is sent back to its owner's yard and has to travel the full track again from the start. You do not need to announce anything - the game handles it the moment you land.
Where captures cannot happen
Two zones are always off limits:
- Safe squares - in Classic Ludo the 4 start squares and 4 star squares. Tokens standing there cannot be taken.
- The home column - each player's final colored stretch is private. Opponents can never even enter yours, so tokens there are untouchable.
Capture rules by variant
The variants on this site add their own twists:
- Pachisi: every capture earns another throw of the cowrie shells, so one strong turn can snowball.
- Parcheesi: a capture earns a 20-square bonus move for any one pawn at the end of the turn, and a pawn entering from the nest captures an enemy even on the start square.
- Team Ludo: teammates never capture each other - only the enemy pair is fair game.
- Mensch ärgere Dich nicht and Fia: there are no safe squares at all, so every token on the track can be captured anywhere.
Why captures matter for your score
Captures are not just defense. On this site you earn points for every capture and for every token you bring home, minus a small amount for each turn you take. A well-timed capture slows your opponent and lifts your score at the same time - just avoid long detours to chase a capture that gains you little.
Related questions
What are safe squares in Ludo?
Safe squares are track squares where tokens can never be captured. Classic Ludo has 8 of them: the 4 colored start squares and 4 star squares. Pachisi has 12 safe castles, Uckers protects only the start squares, and Mensch ärgere Dich nicht and Fia have none at all.
Can two tokens share a square in Ludo?
In Classic Ludo, two of your own tokens can share a square, and tokens from different players can sit together on a safe square. On a normal square, landing exactly on a single enemy token captures it instead of sharing. Some variants change this with blockades or no-stacking rules.
How is Ludo scored?
On Ludo.now you earn points for capturing enemy tokens and for bringing your own tokens home. A small amount is subtracted for every turn you take. Leaderboards rank finished games by completion time.