What is the Royal Game of Ur?

The Royal Game of Ur is a two-player race game from ancient Mesopotamia, dated to about 2600 BC. Boards were found by Leonard Woolley in the Royal Cemetery at Ur, in present-day Iraq, and one is on display at the British Museum. Its rules were reconstructed from a Babylonian clay tablet translated by Irving Finkel, and this version uses the Finkel rules.

How to play

• Each player has seven pieces and throws four dice. Each die scores 0 or 1, so a throw is worth 0 to 4.
• Move one piece that many squares. Pieces enter on your own lane, run through the shared middle lane and leave by your own lane.
• Landing on an enemy piece in the middle lane sends it back to the start.
• Landing on a rosette gives you another throw. A piece on the central rosette cannot be captured.
• A piece leaves the board only on an exact throw. Bring all seven home to win.

Strategy

• Hold the central rosette for as long as you can. It blocks the enemy and keeps you safe.
• A throw of 2 is the most common, so stay 2 squares past an enemy piece at your peril.
• Keep a piece ready to enter, so a bad throw still has a use.

Ways to play

• Against the computer: four levels. Wins raise your rating, which sets your place on the leaderboard.
• Quick match: an online opponent, with a computer player stepping in if nobody is around.
• Play a friend: make a private room and send the code or link.
• One screen: two players take turns on the same device.

FAQ

How old is the Royal Game of Ur? About 4,600 years. Boards from around 2600 BC were excavated at Ur in the 1920s.

Is the Royal Game of Ur luck or skill? Both. The dice decide how far you can move, and you decide which piece moves, so a stronger player wins most games over time.

What rules does this version use? The Finkel rules: seven pieces, four dice, rosettes grant another throw, and the central rosette is safe.