What is Parcheesi?

The Indian cross and circle board game Pachisi has an American version called Parcheesi, which is distributed by Selchow & Righter and Winning Moves Games USA.

A player rolls the dice and must move their pieces around the board in one of the following ways using the uppermost facing die pip values shown:

On the board, only pieces that are not in the nest may advance.

Only upon rolling a five on a single die or the total of the dice can pieces depart the nest. Two pieces can be removed from the nest at once with a double five.A player may move one or two pieces on a non-doubles roll, either one piece by each of the two dice's numbers or one piece by the sum. The turn is lost if there isn't any room for movement.

The turn is done in steps, allowing pieces to be collected along the way when moving a single piece that totals two dice. For instance, if a double two is rolled and a piece from your opponent is on a cream spot two spaces in front of the piece you want to advance all the way, you would move the piece two spaces, then two more spaces, letting your opponent's piece to be captured.

No die roll may be freely abandoned by a player; all die rolls must be used.

If a player is only able to use one of the dice, they must use the other. The player must use the larger dice if both can be used. Before applying any further prizes for sending an opponent to their nest or relocating a piece to its home position, all dice moves must be completed.

Game Rules

The player has four moves with a roll of doubles, one for each number on top of the two dice and one for each number on the bottom. These four moves can be divided among one, two, three, or four pieces by the player.

With doubles, there are a total of fourteen places to move because the sum of the numbers on opposing sides of a die is always seven. Only until all four pieces are free from the nest can this be accomplished.

If the player rolls doubles, assuming that all of the doubles roll was used, the player rolls again after moving. The player does not get another chance to roll if they are unable to use their entire roll.

A piece sends an opponent's piece back to its nest when they both conclude their movements in the same space.

If a safe spot is already taken by an enemy piece, it cannot be placed in that space. Safe spaces are typically light blue in color. The safe area that is used when a piece leaves its nest is the exception; when an opponent's piece leaves the nest and fills the space, the single piece that is in that safe space is sent back to its nest.

When two pieces of a single player occupy the same location, a blockade is created. No player's piece, not even the blockade owner's, is allowed to pass through one. Blockade pieces cannot be advanced at the same time as a double roll. With a roll of a double one, another player may remove the blockage. No piece from another player may touch a space even to leave its nest due to an obstruction in its way. The amount of turns that a roadblock can remain in place may be restricted by local restrictions.

A piece can pass the row and begin another circuit of the board without having to go through the home row or as a result having to spend the entire die roll.[Reference needed]
When the subsequent player rolls the dice with the permission of the current player, the turn is over. Unclaimed awards are forfeited.