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Introduction Ludo is one of the most well known games played anywhere in the world, perhaps second only to the ‘Snakes and Ladders’ in popularity. Simple in rules and easy to understand, it has been wrongly considered to be a western game. On the contrary, the game is believed to have had its origins in India, better-called ‘Parcheesi’. So much so, that it is also referred to as the royal game of India. Putting to sea in an RAN warship expanded one's horizons enormously - so much to see, so much to do and so much to learn! Not the least of which was the ability to be proficient in the many games sailors played during the often monotonous routines of keeping the sea lanes open. A host of table and board games were played by sailors at sea, these included, Mah Jongg, Bridge, Crib, Pontoon, Hearts, Poker, Euchre and 500, but possibly the most popular and enduring of all was UCKERS, or what civilians in the West generally refer to as LUDO. The famous adage and proverb, citing that "A Family That Plays Together, Stays Together" may well be discarded should you ever decide to enter the world of Pussers Uckers. Pussers Uckers can only be played effectively if the competitors have, what is known colloquially in Australia as, "A bit of mongrel in you", for you need to be ruthless, cunning and downright spiteful if you are to receive any enjoyment at all from playing. I can remember when working Part Of Ship at sea, watching the clock intensely, waiting for Stand Easy to roll around where it would be a race to get down the mess first and secure a seat on the 4.5" Magazine Hatch, underneath the ladder (prime position), where in front of you the Uckers Board would be already set up ready to go on the fold away card table. The Mess would quickly fill as the mess members and specatators gathered around joining in on the excitement of the game. Anyway we shall get into all that a little later, first I guess we should take a look at a brief history of Uckers. How many sailors today know that the game in its original form emanated from the East and it is called Parcheesi. Parcheesi (Also spelt Parcheesi, Pachisi, Parchisi, Parchesi; also known as Twenty-Five) is the National Game of India. The name comes from the Indian word "pacis" which means twenty five, the highest score that could be thrown with the cowry shells. Pachisi is, in fact, the younger sister of Chaupar (or Chausar or Chaupad), a more venerable, complex and skilful game that is still played in India.
The Indian Emperor Akbar I of the 16th century Mogul Empire, apparently played Chaupar on great courts constructed of inlaid marble. He would sit on a Dias four feet high in the centre of the court and throw the cowry shells. On the red and white squares around him, 16 beautiful women from the harem, appropriately coloured, would move around according to his directions. Remains of these boards can be seen today in Agra and Allahabad. The origins of Pachisi and Chaupar are lost in time but uncertain evidence indicates that forms of the game were in existence in the Indian region from at least the 4th century AD. Both have hardly changed since Emperor Akbar played although the game is not as widely played in India as it once was. Pachisi boards are typically constructed of cloth, 6 cowry shells are thrown to determine the moves and the counters are made of wood in a beehive shape. Pachisi is a 'Cross and Circle' game, variations of which appear all over the world e.g. Nyout from Korea which probably dates back at least as far as 300AD, Pancha Keliya from Ceylon and the elaborate 'Edris A Jin' from Syria. The Americas are supposed to have been colonised from North East Asia and this evidence is supported by the fact that Cross and Circle games have been found across North and South America. Mayan games have been found from around 800 AD cut into ruins in Mexico and when Europeans conquered the Aztecs in 1521 they discovered a game similar to Pachisi being played by Montezuma's subjects. American Indians still play Cross and Circle race games today. Throughout India and southeast Asia, boards for Pachisi and the related game of Chaupar can be found at a number of archeological sites. The golden age of
Chaupar coincided with the Mogul dynasty (1526-1857), as apparent from
the large boards marked out with inlaid marble on palace courtyards
at Agra and Allahabad. The Emperor Akbar (1542-1605) played the game
on this scale, directing from a central dais the movements of sixteen
slave-girls from the harem dressed in the traditional four colours of
the various pieces. According to Whitehill, the game of Parcheesi was first copyrighted in the United States by E.G. Selchow & Co. (NYC) in 1869. When Selchow merged with Righter a few years later to become Selchow & Righter Co. (NYC) the game was again copyrighted in 1874, 1929, 1942. Subsequent edition were issued - probably under one of these copyrights. A few years ago, the Selchow & Righter Company was bought by Hasbro, Inc. - who now owns the U.S. license for the game and produces the game of Parcheesi for the North American market. There has been little change in the gameboard design with each edition, however, the box has been somewhat changed to keep up with changing public tastes. Woolson Spice Co. (Toledo, OH) published a game called "Pachesi" sometime around 1894. Whitman Publishing Co. (Racine, WI) published the game of Parchesi - A Game of India in 1939. The National Games Co. (Portland, OR) published Pachisi - The Game of India about 1940 Modern
Western Variants Ludo (The Western Politically correct version of Uckers) You will need a dice, a Ludo board and 16 counters/tokens. Your aim is to move your FOUR TOKENS tokens out of their start box, around the board and into your home triangle. As shown by the Red Player in the example below:
A token needs a six to be thrown to leave the start box. On your turn, roll the dice and move a token of your choice as many spaces as the number shpwn on the dice. Roll a six and you may roll again on the same turn. Roll
three sixes in a row and you lose your turn. If a token lands on a white square occupied by an opponent token, the opponent token is "eaten" and sent back to its start box. A token
may not land on, or pass, a white square with more than one opponent
token on it. Tokens
on safe (non-white) squares cannot be eaten, nor can they block opponent
tokens. Two
tokens may be moved as a pair on even rolls of the dice. All
opponent tokens on a white square that a pair of tokens lands on are
eaten. Tokens moved as a pair are never blocked. In 1896, a westernised version of Pachisi was published in England under the name Ludo (Latin for "I play")/ In America, there is evidence for home-made boards and boards without a clear origin from the 1850s. A dubious story credits the invention of Parcheesi to Sam Loyd who supposedly sold the rights to the game for $10 at one point but since Sam Loyd was a notorious self-publicist and deceiver, it is probably best to ignore this account. The earliest definite record is that John Hamilton of the Hudson River Valley claimed copyright to the game in 1867. Rights were apparently sold to an Albert Swift who then sold them on to Selchow and Righter in 1870 and this famous company trademarked the game in 1874. Parcheesi went on to become the bestselling game for Selchow & Richter Co. for decades. In Germany, the game is known as "Mensch-ärgere-dich-nicht" ("Don't-be-angry,-man") which was published in 1910. In Spain, there is "Parchis" and in France, "Le Jeu de Dada" or "Petits Chevaux". Italy has "Non t'arrabbiare" meaning "Don't get angry!" or "Don't lose your temper!". All of these versions are simplified childrens versions like Ludo. Stylised versions on a travel theme are played in Switzerland ("Eile mit Weile" - a game originally published in the late 1800s in Germany) and Italy ("Chi va Piano va Sano!"). NEXT
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Friday, 03-Dec-2004 4:37
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