Why is parchís (Spanish Ludo) called parchís?

The name parchís (Spanish Ludo) comes from the Indian game pachisi, whose name derives from a Hindi word meaning ‘twenty-five’. That number was the highest throw possible with the cowrie shells used as dice.

Pachisi

Pachisi is a traditional Indian game played on a cross-shaped board, with counters that travel around the perimeter before reaching the centre. Instead of dice, players threw several cowrie shells: how far they moved depended on how many landed face up. The highest throw scored 25.

From India to Europe

In the 19th century, the British brought simplified versions of the game to Europe, using ordinary dice. In England, it was marketed as Ludo; in Spain, it became known as parchís, an adaptation of the original name.

Other names

• Ludo in the UK and many other countries.
• Parcheesi in the United States.
• Mensch ärgere dich nicht (‘don’t get annoyed’) in Germany.

Spanish parchís

The Spanish version has its own rules: capturing a counter earns you twenty spaces, reaching home earns you ten, sixes give you another throw, and three sixes in a row send one of your counters back to its starting area. You can find the full story in our history of parchís. And if you’re interested in dice rolls, read how dice probabilities work.