Royal game of ur rules

If you can move a piece, you must move it! You cannot choose to not move a piece. On desktop, you can click a piece to move it.

On mobile, you can drag or double tap the piece you wish to move. You can capture your opponent's pieces by moving your pieces over their pieces in the middle row! Capturing your opponent's pieces is a great way to stop them getting all of their pieces off the board before you!

Beware though, the middle rosette is a safe tile! You cannot take pieces on rosette tiles. Extra Moves: Moving your tiles onto rosette tiles gives you another move! This makes a path of 27 squares, the 28th move being to bear off the board. When a counter reaches the final square of the middle row it returns to its starting row, goes one square back and then bears off. This makes a track of 14 squares, the 15th move being to bear off the board and players counters keep can only meet on the middle row.

When a counter reaches the penultimate square in that row it turns again going to the opposite row to that which it started and then travels around the outside of the 2 x 3 rectangle before bearing off into the gap from which it started but from the opposite side.

This a path of 16 squares, the 17th being to bear off. Both this and Murray's version have the elegant result that a rosette is encountered every 4 squares. General rules and Objective It is generally agreed that the Royal game of Ur is a race game - the aim is to get all 7 pieces around the board to the finish point first.

Throw the dice to decide who plays first - highest score goes first, if it's a draw, throw again. Players take turns to throw three binary lots and move one of their pieces. Only one piece may be moved per throw of the dice and pieces must always move forward around the track. If a counter lands upon a square occupied by an opposing counter, the counter landed upon is sent off the board and must start again from the beginning.

Masters Games Masters Games has produced the following conjectured game based on all the information gathered so far. It uses the J Masters board, of course, and the following binary lot throws: 0 - move 4 squares 1 - move 1 square 2 - move 2 squares 3 - move 3 squares If a counter lands on a rosette, throw the dice again and again if another rosette is landed upon.

The same piece need not be moved on the additional throw. Pieces can be moved onto the board at any stage of the game as long as the square that is moved to upon the first turn is vacant.

A player must always move a counter if it is possible to do so but if it is not possible, the turn is lost. Exact throws are needed to bear pieces off the board. Bell RC Bell used his path stated above and dice throws, which give a different flavour of game entirely, were as follows: 0 - move 4 and have another throw. A piece can only be entered onto the board by a throw of 5 and moves as indicated above for further throws. If a counter lands on a rosette, that player must pay an agreed fine into the pool.

If a counter lands on an opposing counter, the latter piece is captured and sent off the board from where it can only return to the board by the throw of a five in the usual way. The first player to bear all pieces off the board wins the pool. It uses the RC Bell path around the board. Rules are based on the 1st millenium cuneiform table originally translated by Finkel so it uses five pieces instead of seven and four binary pyramid lots instead of 3 viz.

Pieces may be started onto the board at any time as long as the square to be moved to by the dice throw is vacant. Irving Finkel v. These rules are provided by Masters Traditional Games, an Internet shop selling quality traditional games, pub games and unusual games. For general information or for copying and copyright, see our Rules Information page.

Our rules are comprehensive instructions for friendly play. If in doubt, always abide by locally-played or house rules. Subscribe to Masters of Games Monthly.