Directions for Playing

Pachesi

This popular game is similar to the national game of India, and is noted from the fact that the more you play, the more interested you become. Suitable for people of all ages.

Prepare the game for playing by cutting off end of this sheet at point indicated by the dotted line on other side. Then carefully cut out the round and square disks, and the squares which serve as counters. Each player takes three disks and places them in the corresponding corner. Players then take turns at throwing the counters and moving through the spaces between the red lines on outside, and endeavoring to get all three of his men “Home” since the one who succeeds in doing this first wins the game. No player can start a disk until he throws the odd counter 5, when he places one of his disks on the nearest dark space marked “start here,” but does not have another throw until his turn comes again. Each disk must go entirely around the “home” and then three spaces further, finally moving down the dark-colored “home stretch” next following the space from which it started. But no disk can be moved entirely “home” until the number of moves indicated by the counter are sufficient to take it exactly “home” and no further. Every time the disk of one player alights on the space occupied by another player, first player’s disk is sent back to starting point. The exceptions to this are when the first disk is on a safety point (dark-colored space with light center), and also, that when one player gets two of his disks on one space he blocks the game for all behind him, who are forbidden from passing or alighting on that space until one of his disks are moved. No disk can be moved from its corner until the counter indicates 5.

How to Throw the Counters

The “counters” are the small square pieces, having dots and stars on either side. After cutting them apart, they are placed in a tumbler or other receptacle, which is then thoroughly shaken and turned upside down above the table. As the counters fall, two of them will generally be the same color, and the third one a color different from the other two. For instance, two counters will be red and the other black. It is this odd one which counts. If all three should be red, the figure 3 counts; and if all three are black, then count the figure 5.

Throw the counters a few times, and the above will be perfectly clear.