How to play Menchu: rules of the Iranian Ludo game
Also known as: منچ, Ludo, Pachisi
Menchu is the Iranian name for the Ludo family of dice race games. Learn the board, starting with a six, capturing pieces and the best tips for family play.
- Type
- Board game
- Players
- 2–4
- Age
- Ages 5+
- Play time
- 20–60 min
- Origin
- Cross-and-circle race games from India; known in Iran as menchu
Menchu is the name used in Iran for the family of cross-shaped race games known elsewhere as Ludo, Parcheesi or "Mensch ärgere dich nicht". These games come from the ancient Indian game of Pachisi. In Iranian homes, a printed menchu board is a common sight, sometimes on the reverse side of another game board. Two to four players each have four pieces of one colour and race them around the board, from their starting yard to the centre, using a single die. Because pieces can be knocked back to the start, menchu is full of sudden turns of fortune, cheering and protests. Many Iranians learned to count and to lose gracefully at a menchu board with their grandparents.
Our verdict
Menchu is simple enough for a five-year-old and still exciting for adults. Every turn has a small choice, such as which piece to move or whether to risk a capture, so children learn early decision-making while practising counting. The game creates strong emotions in a safe way: being sent home and then coming back to win is a lesson in patience. It is a classic choice for family evenings when people of very different ages want to play together.
What works
- Very easy to teach
- Works for two to four players of different ages
- Exciting turns and comebacks
What does not
- Mostly decided by dice
- Captures can upset very young players
How to play Menchu (Ludo)
Each player chooses a colour and places four pieces in the yard of that colour. Players take turns rolling one die. To bring a piece out of the yard onto its starting square, a player usually needs to roll a six, and a six also gives an extra roll. Pieces move clockwise around the outer track by the number rolled. If a piece ends its move on a square occupied by an opponent's piece, the opponent's piece is captured and sent back to its yard. After a full lap, each piece turns into its own coloured home column, which no other player may enter, and must reach the centre. House rules often say the final roll must be exact. The first player to bring all four pieces home wins, but the others usually continue to decide second and third place.
Tips for new players
- Try to keep at least two pieces in play so every roll has a useful move.
- Do not stop just in front of an opponent's piece; it can capture you with a small roll.
- Use a six to bring out a new piece when your other pieces are safe.
- Agree on house rules, such as safe squares and exact finishing rolls, before you start.
Good for
Menchu (Ludo): common questions
Is menchu the same as Ludo?
Yes. Menchu is the Iranian name for the same family of race games known as Ludo, Parcheesi or Pachisi in other countries.
Do you need a six to start in menchu?
In the most common rules, yes: a piece leaves its yard only on a roll of six, and the six also gives an extra roll.
How many people can play menchu?
A standard board is made for two to four players, each with four pieces of one colour.
Menchu (Ludo) belongs to its owners. Playdonya is not connected to them and does not sell this game; the cover is our own illustration.
