How to Play Royal Game of Ur

The Royal Game of Ur is one of the oldest known board games, dating back nearly 4,500 years to ancient Mesopotamia.

Each player has 7 pieces that must travel a 14-square path: 4 private entry squares, 8 shared middle squares (the "war zone"), and 2 private exit squares.

The goal is to be the first player to bear off (move off the board) all 7 of your pieces. Both players' paths overlap in the middle 8 squares, where pieces can be captured!

The game uses 4 tetrahedral dice (pyramid-shaped), each with 2 marked and 2 unmarked corners. Each die gives a result of 0 or 1.

The total roll ranges from 0 to 4:

- Roll 0: No move. Your turn passes immediately.

- Roll 1-4: Move one of your pieces forward that many squares.

A roll of 0 has about a 6% chance, while rolls of 1-4 have varying probabilities. A roll of 2 is the most common.

Here, Player 1 has rolled a 3 and must select a piece to move.

Pieces start off the board (position -1). When you roll, you can either enter a new piece onto the board or advance an existing piece.

Entering a piece places it at the position equal to your roll (e.g., roll 3 places the piece on square 3). Moving an existing piece advances it forward by the roll amount.

You cannot land on a square already occupied by your own piece. If you have no valid moves, your turn is skipped.

Here, Player 1 has entered two pieces onto the board (positions 2 and 5) and has five more waiting.

Three squares on the path are marked with a rosette (flower pattern) at positions 3, 7, and 13.

Landing on a rosette grants an extra turn -- you roll and move again immediately!

The rosette at position 7 (in the shared middle section) is special: a piece on this square is safe from capture. Opponents cannot land on it.

The rosettes at positions 3 (entry) and 13 (exit) also give extra turns, but pieces there can still be interacted with normally.

Here, Player 1 has a piece on the safe rosette at position 7. Player 2 cannot capture it.

In the shared middle section (positions 4-11), both players' pieces share the same squares. If your piece lands on a square occupied by an opponent's piece, the opponent's piece is sent back to the start (off the board).

The opponent must re-enter that piece on a future turn. Captures can only happen in the shared section -- pieces in private entry/exit sections are safe.

Remember: pieces on the rosette at position 7 cannot be captured!

Here, Player 1 has rolled a 2. The piece at position 4 can advance to position 6, capturing Player 2's piece there.

A piece at the end of its path must reach position 14 with an exact roll to bear off.

For example, a piece on position 12 needs exactly a 2, and a piece on position 13 needs exactly a 1. If you roll too high, that piece cannot move.

Landing on the rosette at position 13 gives you an extra turn -- and then you need exactly a 1 to bear off from there.

Here, Player 1 has pieces on positions 12 and 13. A roll of 2 could bear off the piece at 12, or a roll of 1 could bear off the piece at 13 (and grant an extra turn from the rosette!).

The Royal Game of Ur blends luck with tactical decision-making. Here are key strategies:

Control the safe rosette. Position 7 is the most valuable square -- your piece is safe from capture and you get an extra turn.

Capture aggressively. Sending an opponent's piece back to start forces them to spend turns re-entering it.

Spread your pieces. Having pieces at different positions gives you more valid moves and reduces the chance of wasting a roll.

Watch the exit. The exit squares (12-13) are private, so focus on getting pieces past the shared section where they are vulnerable.