Parcheesi

Parcheesi is an American adaptation of the Indian Cross and Circle game Pachisi. Created in India around 500 BC, the game is often subtitled Royal Game of India because royalty supposedly played using costumed dancers as pawns on large outdoor boards. The game and its variants are known worldwide; for example, a similar game called Parchís is especially popular in Spain, and Parqués is a Colombian variant. The German name is "Mensch ärgere dich nicht" (English: "Man, don't get mad").

Rules of play

Parcheesi board

Parcheesi is played with one or two dice and the goal of the game is to move each of one's pawns home to the center space. The most popular Parcheesi boards in America have 72 spaces around the board, twelve of which are darkened safe spaces where a pawn cannot be captured.

Each player selects four pawns of the same color and places them in their "nest," or starting area. The game board should be positioned so that each player's nest is to their right. Pawns enter play onto the darkened space to the left of their nest and continue counter-clockwise around the board to the home path directly in front of the player.

Each player rolls a die; the highest roller goes first, and subsequent play continues to the left. On each turn, players throw one or both dice and use the values shown to move their pawns around the board. If an amount on one or both of the dice cannot be moved, that amount is forfeited.

Any time a player rolls, he or she must use as much of the dice showing as possible. (i.e. If a player rolls 4 and 5 and could move either 4 or 5, but not both, then she must move 5.)

Entering pawns

Five has a special value in entering pawns out of the nest where they begin the game. A player may enter a pawn only by throwing a five or a total sum of five on the dice or if either of the dice shows a five. Each time a five is tossed, the player must start a pawn if possible.

Capturing

Any pawn that is not on a safe space or a part of a blockade can be captured by an opposing pawn. A player is awarded 20 bonus spaces for capturing an opposing pawn. The 20 spaces may not be divided between pawns and must be moved, if possible.

Team Rules: If opposing team has two pawns on players exit area,the player can not exit.

Blockades

When two pawns occupy the same space, they prevent any pawns behind the two from advancing past the blockade. This includes blocking pawns from leaving their nest. Two pawns that form a blockade may not be moved forward together to form a new blockade on the same roll.

Safe spaces

The dark spaces are safe spaces. A pawn may not be captured as long as it sits on one of these spaces. The only exception is if a pawn sits on the safe space where another player enters the board from her nest. Those spaces are safe from all other players, but the pawn can be taken if the player whose nest it is has a piece in her nest and rolls a 5 (as long as it isn't a blockade).

Two pawns that form a blockade are also safe.

Doublets

(Two dice version) When a doublet (doubles) is tossed, the player gains another roll of the dice. In addition, if all that player’s pawns are outside the nest, the values on reverse side of dice are also used. For example, a player who rolls 6-6 can also move 1-1 in any combination. Therefore, when a doublet is tossed, the player has a total of fourteen spaces to move one or more pawns.

If a player rolls doubles and cannot move the entire number of spaces, she cannot move any spaces, but does still get to roll again.

The third consecutive doublet rolled in one turn is a penalty, and pawns are not moved the number of spaces shown on dice. A player with a three doublet penalty also removes their pawn closest to home back to their nest, and his/her turn ends.

A player cannot split doubles in order to enter home. This means that a player can only enter home by rolling doubles if she is exactly 14 spaces from home.

Home

The center home space can only be entered by exact throw of the die or dice. When a pawn enters the center space by exact count, that player is awarded ten movement points that may be moved with any one pawn still in play at the end of their turn. If the bonus movement amount cannot be used, it is forfeit.

Each player has his/her own home path and may not enter another's. So, when a pawn is on its home path, it can no longer be captured. Once a pawn has been moved into her home path, it can no longer be moved except to move all the way to home.

Winning the game

The first player to get all four pawns home wins, at which point the winner must yell "PARCHEESI!"

Cultural references

The title character of Heinrich Böll's novel The Clown spends much of his free time playing Parcheesi.

In the movie "The Pest", Pest asks if the man who wants to hunt him has "tried parcheesi".

In the webcomic Ozy and Millie, there is a game called House Rules Parcheesi, a game that seems to have rules, but they are so complicated, and branch into so many other games, it is impossible to play it. It is similar to other fictional games with complex rules or a lack of rules such as Calvinball, Mornington Crescent, Guyball and Fizzbin.

In "The Texas Skillsaw Massacre" episode of King of the Hill Hank says, "Take it easy Parcheesi" referring to his anger management teacher and one of his many rhyming methods of relaxation.

It is also memorably mentioned in the film Ghostbusters, when Rick Moranis' character, Louis Tully, asks his party guests "So, does anybody wanna play Parcheesi?", before a Terror Dog bursts out of his closet.

Parcheesi is the favorite game of fictional private detective Tex Murphy, the star of Access Software's series of live-action computer games. It's most prominently featured in 1998's Tex Murphy: Overseer.

A variation of Parcheesi is mentioned in La Palabra, the 19th episode of Season 6 of The West Wing. Josh Lyman says that Helen Santos thinks he is playing "Presidential Primary Parcheesi" with her children's college funds.

It's mentioned in Sex and the City ("The Domino Effect") as well, by Carrie when playing dominoes with Big. She says that Dominoes are his generation's game, whilst hers is Parcheesi.

In the fourth season Seinfeld episode The Pitch, Newman claims in court that he had been playing Parcheesi with a blind man, as part of a scheme to escape payment of a speeding ticket.

In Elling, directed by Peter Næss, the eponymous Elling and his room-mate Kjell Bjarne spend a good deal of their time playing Parcheesi.

In The Curious Savage, Florence shouts "Stop! Parcheesi, The Royal Game of India!" to distract someone.

In the play On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson, the main character, Norman, twice asks his wife, Ethel, if she would care for a game of Parcheesi.

In the Ben Stiller 2007 comedy Heartbreak Kid, Miranda is told that her family are going to be playing Parcheesi when she is speaking with Eddie.

In the "Meg Cabot" book All American Girl: Ready or Not the main character Sam thinks her boyfriend is referring to sex when he invites her to play Parcheesi.

In SpongeBob SquarePants Squidward fantasizes playing Parcheesi on a cruise ship.

In the movie "Shrek 2", the donkey suggests that he, Shrek and Fiona play Parcheesi, and the game can be seen in the background.

In the 1964 film Paris - When It Sizzles, Richard tells Gabrielle that when there is a fade-out in a film, it does not necessarily cover a sex scene: it allows the audience to think that the characters for example play Parcheesi. The next scene shows Gabrielle and Richard on a bed playing Parcheesi.

In the Stephen King novel "Duma Key" the character Elizabeth Eastlake is playing Parcheesi with Jack Cantori at her house. It is also played in his novel "Christine", where Dennis Guilder is playing it with his younger sister Ellie.

In the Ren and Stimpy Show episode "Svën Höek", one of the "boring games" that Stimpy and Sven contemplate playing is "Pure Cheesy", a parody of Parcheesi.

In the Kevin Henkes book Chrysanthemum, it is played after Chrysanthemum's first & second days at school.

In Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2 (1997) episode 11: Ted, as Buffy's mother's robotic boyfriend is killed he says "Buffy, would you like to play some Parcheesi?" Also in Season 6 episode 20: Villians Clem asks Dawn "Do you like Parcheesi?"

In the Broadway musical Hairspray, Motormouth Maybelle makes references to parcheesi.

In the television show, Sifl & Olly, Precious Roy complains that Sifl and Olly got "cat shit on [his] Parcheesi board." while selling catscan goggles.

See also

• Other cross and circle games

External links

• Vegard Krog Petersen, "Pachisi and Ludo"
• Rules of Parcheesi