Ludo Glossary
Every term you'll meet on a Ludo board, explained in plain English - from the yard and the track to Parcheesi blockades, Uckers mixy-blobs and Fia's knuff. New to the game? Start with the rules hub, then come back here whenever a word trips you up. 48 terms, A to Z.
A
AI opponent
The computer player that controls every colour except red on Ludo.now. It follows the same rules you do and picks its moves by reading the whole board, so it plays like a sharp human rival.
B
Blockade
Two or more tokens of one colour on a single square, forming a wall that other tokens cannot pass or capture. A Parcheesi blockade blocks every player, even its owner; an Uckers barrier blocks enemies but never a partner.
Board
The 15 by 15 cross that Ludo is played on. It holds four corner yards, a shared 52-square track, four private home columns, and the finishing area in the centre.
C
Capture
Landing by exact count on a square that holds a single enemy token, which sends that token back to its yard. Captures are the biggest swings in any Ludo game, since the victim must start its lap over.
Capture range
The six squares directly in front of a token, which it can reach with a single roll. Standing inside an enemy's capture range means you can be captured on its next turn.
Castle square
A protected square in Pachisi where no token can be captured. The Pachisi board on this site has twelve castle squares, giving it far more shelter than any Ludo variant.
Clockwise movement
The direction every token travels around the main track. All four colours race the same way, each entering at its own start square and circling once before turning up its home column.
Cowrie shells
The six small shells thrown instead of dice in Pachisi. Count the mouths facing up: two to six mouths move that many squares, exactly one moves 10, and none at all moves 25. Throws of 6, 10 and 25 are graces.
Cross-and-circle game
The ancient family of race games played on a cross-shaped path, usually with pieces circling the arms of the cross. Pachisi is the most famous member, and Ludo and all its cousins descend from it.
D
Daily challenge
A once-a-day mode where every player receives the exact same dice sequence. Since luck is identical for everyone, your result measures pure decision-making, and the leaderboard shows how you compare.
Dice / Die
The numbered cube that powers most moves. One cube is a die; two or more are dice. Ludo, Mensch ärgere Dich nicht and Fia use a single six-sided die, Parcheesi and Uckers throw two dice, and Pachisi replaces dice with six cowrie shells.
Doubling (stacking)
Placing two of your own tokens on the same square. Classic Ludo permits it, Fia forbids it completely, and in Parcheesi a doubled square becomes a blockade that nothing, not even its owner, can land on or pass.
E
Endgame
The last stretch of a match, when tokens crowd the home columns and exact rolls decide everything. Good endgame play means staggering tokens so different numbers can finish different pieces.
Entry roll
The throw a token needs to leave the yard. It is a six in Classic Ludo and Uckers, a one or a six in Fia, a five in Parcheesi (on one die or both dice combined), any roll in Quick Ludo, and in Pachisi a grace throw of 6, 10 or 25 for every piece after your first.
Exact roll
A roll that matches the remaining distance to the finish precisely. A token can only step onto the home triangle with an exact roll; a bigger number must be given to another token. Pachisi is the exception: a throw larger than the distance remaining still carries a piece home.
Extra turn
The bonus throw earned by a six in Ludo and Uckers, doubles in Parcheesi, or a grace or capture in Pachisi. In Classic Ludo three sixes in a row end your turn instead, while Fia lets a streak run as long as the die allows.
F
Fia
The Swedish member of the Ludo family, fully named Fia med knuff, or 'Fia with a push'. Tokens enter on a one or a six, no square on the track is safe, and landing on an enemy pushes it back to its yard.
G
Grace
A cowrie-shell throw of 6, 10 or 25 in Pachisi. A grace lets a new piece enter the board and earns another throw, and after your first piece has entered, a grace is the only way to bring the later pieces in.
H
Home
The finishing area in the centre of the board, and the goal of the whole race. A token is home once it climbs its column and lands the exact final roll; bring all four home and you win.
Home column
The private lane of coloured squares connecting the main track to the centre. Only the owner's tokens may enter it, so tokens inside can never be captured.
Home triangle
The very last square of a token's journey, in the centre of the cross. A token needs an exact roll to step onto it and finish.
House rules
Informal rule changes that families and friends layer onto Ludo, such as bonus moves after a capture. Ludo.now publishes one fixed rule set per game so every match plays the same.
K
Knock back
Another name for a capture: knocking an enemy token off the track and back to its yard. The victim must roll its entry number to begin again.
L
Lap
One complete trip around the 52-square track, from a token's start square all the way back to the mouth of its home column.
Leaderboard
The ranking table for a game mode, most importantly the daily challenge, where identical dice make times comparable. Stats save in your browser, and a free account syncs them across devices.
Ludo
The English game patented in 1896 as a simplified Pachisi, and now the world's most played race game. Its core rules are six to enter, capture by landing, an extra roll on a six, and an exact roll to finish.
M
Mensch ärgere Dich nicht
Germany's version of Ludo, whose name means 'Man, don't get angry'. It removes every safe square, so any token on the track can be captured at any moment.
Mixy-blob
Uckers slang for a mixed stack of pieces from more than one player on a single square. It differs from a barrier, which is two or more of your own pieces blocking enemies from landing or passing - though a barrier never blocks a partner.
N
Nest
The Parcheesi name for the yard, the corner area where a player's tokens wait before entering the race.
P
Pachisi
The centuries-old Indian cross-and-circle game that started the whole Ludo family. This site's version is played the traditional way, with six cowrie shells instead of dice, twelve castle squares, and grace throws of 6, 10 and 25.
Parcheesi
The American adaptation of Pachisi, played with two dice. Pawns enter the track on a five, two same-colour pawns form a blockade no pawn may pass, and every capture earns a 20-square bonus move.
Partnership
A fixed two-player team, as in Team Ludo or 4-player Uckers, where you and yellow face green and blue. Partners never capture each other, and the whole team must bring all eight of its tokens home to win.
Pip
A single dot on the face of a die. The number of pips showing after a roll is the number of squares your chosen token moves.
Push (knuff)
The Fia name for a capture. Landing exactly on an enemy token pushes it back to its yard; knuff is Swedish for a push or shove.
R
Race game
Any board game won by getting your pieces from start to finish before your opponents. Ludo, Pachisi, Parcheesi, Fia, Uckers, and backgammon all belong to this group.
Roll
One throw of the die in Ludo, producing a number from one to six. You then pick which of your tokens uses the number, and that pick is the main decision of every turn.
Runner
A player's most advanced token, pushed far ahead of the rest. A runner gains ground quickly but loses the most progress if it gets captured.
S
Safe square
A square where tokens cannot be captured. Classic Ludo has eight - the four start squares plus the four star squares - while Fia and Mensch ärgere Dich nicht have none at all.
Six
The strongest face on the die. It releases tokens from the yard in Classic Ludo and Uckers and earns another throw in both, though in Classic three sixes in a row end the turn.
Star square
One of four marked squares on the track where no token can be captured. Together with the four start squares they form Classic Ludo's eight safe squares; Fia plays without them.
Start square
The square where a token lands when it leaves the yard, one per colour. In Classic Ludo your own start square counts as safe ground; in Fia it offers no protection.
T
Tempo
A measure of who is getting more done per turn. Extra rolls from sixes, cheap entries, and captures that force rivals to restart all win tempo.
Three-sixes rule
The penalty for rolling three sixes in a row: your turn ends immediately and the third six is lost. On this site only Classic, Quick and Team Ludo use it; Parcheesi, Uckers, Mensch ärgere Dich nicht and Fia do not.
Token
One of the four pieces each player moves around the board. Tokens are also called pieces, pawns, counters, or seeds.
Track
The shared loop of 52 squares that every token races around. All captures happen on the track, since yards and home columns are private.
Turn order
The fixed sequence in which players take their rolls, passing around the table. Only bonus throws break the rhythm: a six in Ludo, doubles in Parcheesi, a grace or a capture in Pachisi.
U
Uckers
The Royal Navy's famously fierce version of Ludo, played with two dice and traditionally in 2v2 partnerships. Stacking two or more of your own pieces forms a barrier that enemies cannot land on or pass.
Y
Yard
The corner area where a player's four tokens begin the game and where captured tokens return. It is also called the nest or the base.