Royal Game of Ur Unblocked

The Royal Game of Ur was a favorite in Mesopotamia some 4,500 years ago, and finely decorated boards for it were dug out of royal graves in the early twentieth century. It is a race, but a surprisingly sharp one. Dice decide how far you go, while you decide which piece goes, and a shared lane down the middle means every lead can be knocked back to the start. This unblocked version from Christopher Müller’s PaperGames project uses the popular modern rules, with a three-level computer opponent and a local two-player mode.

The Path, the Dice and the Rosettes

Each player owns seven pieces that begin in a Start tray beside the board. Each route is 14 squares long:

• Four private squares to begin with, where only you can go.
• Eight shared squares down the middle row, used by both players.
• Two private squares at the end before your pieces leave the board.

Rolling. Press Roll dice to throw four dice that each land marked or blank. Each marked face is worth one step, so a throw is anywhere between zero and four. Zero means you sit this turn out.

Moving. Advance one piece by the full amount. Either push a piece that is already travelling or bring in a fresh one. The game highlights everything that can legally move. You cannot land on your own piece.

Capturing. Finish your move on top of a rival piece in the middle row and that piece is sent home to begin again.

Rosettes. Five squares are marked as rosettes. Landing on one gives you another roll, and a piece sitting on a rosette is safe.

Bearing off. To step off the end, a piece needs precisely the right number. Get all seven off first to win.

Royal Game of Ur controls

To do this	Keyboard	Mouse	Touch
Throw the four dice	Tab to "Roll dice" and press Enter	Click "Roll dice"	Tap "Roll dice"
Advance a piece or enter a new one	Tab or arrow keys to a highlighted piece or the Start slot, then Enter	Click a highlighted piece, or the highlighted Start slot to enter a new piece	Tap a highlighted piece or the highlighted Start slot
Pick your side and opponent	—	Pick black or white and a level, then click "New game"	Pick black or white and a level, then tap "New game"
Take back or concede	—	Click "Undo" or "Resign"	Tap "Undo" or "Resign"

How to Win More Races

Fight for the center rosette. It is the only rosette inside the shared lane. A piece parked there is untouchable, blocks your rival from using it, and threatens anything that passes.

Measure danger. A rival up to four squares back is a threat, and one sitting exactly two back is the scariest, because 2 comes up more than any other throw.

Spend small rolls on new pieces. A 1 rarely helps a piece in the lane, but it is a fine way to slip another piece onto your safe opening squares.

Keep a reserve at home. A piece lurking at the edge of the middle row can pounce on anything that strolls past.

Stagger your finishers. Exiting demands an exact count, so spread your runners out near the finish so that most throws still do something.

A Living Piece of History

Few games let you play something this old with almost no setup. Rounds are short, the rules fit in a minute, and the mix of luck and choice keeps it fair for players of different skill. On Hard, the computer estimates how likely each of its exposed pieces is to be hit, so it plays carefully.

If ancient games interest you, Senet from Egypt is another race played thousands of years ago. For the modern descendant of dice racing, try Backgammon.