Ludo Strategy: Seven Habits That Win More Games

It is easy to believe that Ludo is pure luck. Play a hundred games against someone who thinks about each move, though, and they will win clearly more than half. The dice chooses the number; the player chooses the token — and over a game those choices add up.

None of the habits below is complicated. Together they are the difference between hoping for sixes and playing well.

1. Get tokens out of the yard

A six is the only way out of the yard, so when one comes, think twice before using it to run with a token that is already moving. A new token on the board gives you a choice on every later roll. One token means one forced move.

2. Count six squares behind you

Any opponent within one to six squares behind your token can capture it with a single roll. Before you move, count the gap you will leave. Seven squares clear is far safer than five.

3. Use the safe squares

A token on a start square or a star square cannot be captured. When two moves are otherwise equal, choose the one that ends on a safe square. When you are being chased, a star two steps short is better than open track four steps further on.

4. Capture for the extra roll

A capture does three things at once: it sends an opponent back to the yard, where they need a six; it removes a threat from the track; and it gives you another roll. That extra roll is often what turns a good turn into a winning one.

5. Send back the token that hurts most

If you can choose between two captures, take the token that has travelled furthest. A token that had nearly finished its lap loses almost everything; one that had just left its start square loses very little.

6. Do not sit in front of a start square

The squares just beyond an opponent’s start square are dangerous whenever that opponent still has tokens in the yard: a six brings one out, and the very next roll can land on you. Pass through that stretch quickly or wait behind it.

7. Keep a spare token for awkward rolls

A token in the home column needs an exact number to finish. If it is your only token in play, most rolls are wasted. Keep a second token out on the track so that every roll moves something useful.

Playing in a team

In two against two, partners cannot capture each other, and the team only wins when both partners are home. That changes the sums. Shield your partner’s exposed token by standing behind it, go after the opponent who is closest to finishing, and remember that finishing first yourself does not win anything while your partner is stranded.

In short: More tokens out, safe squares when in doubt, and always count the six squares behind you.