Overview
The Royal Game of Ur is one of the oldest known board games, dating to ancient Mesopotamia around 2600 BCE. It's a race game for two players combining luck and strategy, played with tetrahedral dice and seven pieces per player.
History
Discovered in the Royal Tombs of Ur (modern Iraq) by Leonard Woolley in the 1920s, game boards and rules were deciphered with help from a Babylonian clay tablet describing the game.
Around the world
- Royal Game of Ur
- Game of Twenty Squares
Strategy
Rosettes are safe squares
Land on them when possible for protection and extra rolls.
The central rosette is especially valuable since both players' pieces pass through it.
Consider whether to move advanced pieces or bring new ones onto the board.
Blocking opponent's pieces in the shared middle section can be advantageous.
Don't spread your pieces too thin
They become vulnerable to capture.
Balance between safe advancement and aggressive capturing based on board position.
Frequently asked questions
Be the first to move all seven of your pieces from start to finish along the track on the board.