The Royal Game of Ur

The Royal Game of Ur

2 players - ± 20 minutes - based on Irving Finkel's simplified rules.

Aim

Be the first to move all seven of your pieces across the board and off again.

Setup

The board starts empty. Each player has seven pieces. Throw the dice to see who goes first; the highest throw starts. That player then throws again for their first move.

Throwing

After each throw, count how many of the four pyramid-shaped dice land with a marked corner pointing up. That is the number of squares you may move one piece. If none of the dice shows a marked corner, you miss your turn.

Moving

Each player follows their own route across the board: first along their own row, then through the shared middle row, and at the end back to their own side. The two routes are mirror images of each other. You must always move a piece if you can; only when no move at all is possible do you miss your turn. 

Only one piece may stand on a square. You can, however, capture your opponent's pieces.

Capturing

If you land on your opponent's piece, that piece goes back to the start. A piece standing on a rosette cannot be captured.

Rosette squares

If you land exactly on a rosette, two things happen: you may throw again straight away, and your piece cannot be captured there. 

Bearing off

To play a piece off the board you must throw exactly the right number. If your piece is on the last rosette square, you need exactly a 1.

Winner

The first player to bear off all seven pieces.