Chutes and Ladders

1 Overview

Chutes and Ladders is the American edition of the classic Snakes and Ladders board game, published by Hasbro/Milton Bradley. Players spin a spinner (or roll a die) and move their token across a 100-square numbered grid. Landing on a ladder's base sends you up toward the goal; landing on a chute's top sends you sliding back down. First player to reach square 100 wins.

In the American version, the traditional snakes have been replaced with playground chutes (slides), and each chute and ladder has an illustrated moral lesson -- a child doing something good gets rewarded with a ladder up; a child doing something naughty slides back down on a chute. Designed for ages 3 to 7, no reading required.

2 Setup

1. Unfold the board. Square 1 is at the bottom-right. Numbers increase right-to-left on even rows, left-to-right on odd rows (boustrophedon), ending at square 100 at the top-left.
2. Each player places their token off the board (before square 1).
3. Determine turn order -- youngest player goes first.

3 Gameplay

1. On your turn, spin the spinner (numbers 1-6) and move your token forward that many spaces.
2. If you land on the bottom of a ladder, immediately climb up to the top square of that ladder.
3. If you land on the top of a chute, immediately slide down to the bottom square of that chute.
4. If you land on a plain numbered square, nothing happens. Your turn ends.
5. Play passes to the left.

4 Notable Spaces

Exact positions vary by edition. Classic Milton Bradley layout includes:

5 Winning

First player to reach square 100 wins. Standard rules require an exact roll to land on 100. If your spin takes you past 100, you do not move. Alternatively, many families play that reaching or passing 100 wins.

6 History

Chutes and Ladders is the American version of Snakes and Ladders, which originated in India over 2,000 years ago as Moksha Patam -- a game illustrating karma. Milton Bradley brought it to the US in 1943, replacing snakes with chutes to make it less scary for young children and adding the virtue/vice illustrated lessons. It has sold tens of millions of copies and is one of the most recognized board games in the world.

7 FAQ