How to play Snakes & Ladders

1 player vs computer, or 4 online

Be the first to move your counter from the start to square one hundred, going up any ladder you land on and down any snake.

The rules, step by step

1. 1

   Everybody starts off the board. Tap the die to roll, and move that many squares.

2. 2

   The board is numbered from the bottom left and turns at the end of every row, so square eleven sits directly above square ten.

3. 3

   Land on the foot of a ladder and your counter climbs to the top of it.

4. 4

   Land on the head of a snake and your counter slides down to its tail.

5. 5

   You need the exact number to finish. If your roll would take you past a hundred, you stay where you are and the turn passes.

6. 6

   The first counter to land on a hundred wins.

Three tips that change how you play

• There is nothing to decide, so play it for what it is: something to do while you talk to whoever you are playing.
• If you are playing with a small child, point out the snake at ninety-eight before you start rather than after it happens.
• A game takes about thirty rolls each. If that feels long, it is the exact-finish rule, which can keep two counters sitting near a hundred for several turns.

The last ten squares

Suppose you are on ninety-two and your opponent is on eighty. You are twelve squares ahead and you are about to lose. Your opponent rolls, and it barely matters what they get: the ladder at eighty has already taken them, because they were standing on its foot at the start of their turn. They are on a hundred and the game is over. Now change one thing and put them on seventy-nine instead. They roll a one, land on eighty, climb to a hundred and win anyway. A two takes them to eighty-two and nothing happens at all. That is Snakes and Ladders. The board decides, both players can see it coming, and neither of them can do a thing about it. Meanwhile on ninety-two you needed an eight, which does not exist, so you were never finishing this turn regardless.

Three mistakes that cost beginners the game

Counting the square you are already on as the first square of your move.

A roll of three from square ten takes you to thirteen, not twelve. Start counting from the next square along. This is the only actual error it is possible to make in this game, and it is the one children make.

Reading the board straight across every row.

The numbering turns at the end of each row. Eleven is directly above ten, not above one. Follow the numbers rather than the columns, or the ladders and snakes will look like they are pointing the wrong way.

Moving past a hundred to finish.

You need the exact roll. On ninety-seven you need a three and nothing else will do, so a four, five or six leaves you where you are. Somebody behind you can and will go past while you wait.

Common questions about Snakes & Ladders