Snakes and Ladders

1 Overview

Snakes and Ladders (called Chutes and Ladders in the United States) is a classic race board game for 2 to 6 players. Players move tokens across a 100-square numbered grid by rolling a die. Landing on a ladder base sends you up toward the finish; landing on a snake's head sends you sliding back down. The first player to reach square 100 wins.

Snakes and Ladders is one of the oldest board games in the world, with roots in ancient India over 2,000 years ago. It requires no skill or strategy -- it is a pure luck game -- making it ideal for very young children (ages 3 to 5) playing alongside adults.

2 Components

• 10x10 game board (squares numbered 1 to 100)
• 1 standard six-sided die
• 2 to 6 player tokens (pawns)

3 Setup

1. Place the board flat on the table. Square 1 is at the bottom-left. Square 100 is at the top-left.
2. Each player places their token off the board (before square 1).
3. Decide who goes first -- youngest player or highest die roll.

4 Gameplay

1. On your turn, roll the die and move your token forward that many squares.
2. The board numbers in a boustrophedon pattern: row 1 goes left to right (1-10), row 2 goes right to left (11-20), row 3 goes left to right (21-30), and so on.
3. If you land on the base of a ladder, immediately climb up to the square at the top of that ladder.
4. If you land on a snake's head, immediately slide down to the square at the snake's tail.
5. If you land on an empty square, nothing special happens. Your turn ends.
6. Play passes to the left.

There are no choices to make during the game -- movement is entirely determined by the die roll and the board layout.

5 Classic Snakes and Ladders Squares

Board layouts vary by edition. A traditional layout typically includes:

The snake on square 99 is the cruelest in the game: one square from victory, sent all the way back to the start. It has decided countless childhood grudge matches.

6 Winning

The first player to reach exactly square 100 wins. Most versions require an exact roll to land on 100. If you roll too high, you do not move (or in some variants, bounce back by the excess amount).

Example: You're on square 98 and roll a 4. You need exactly 2. Most rules say you simply don't move and wait for your next turn.

7 History and Origins

Snakes and Ladders originated in ancient India as Moksha Patam, a game designed to teach Hindu moral lessons. Snakes represented vices (lust, anger, theft); ladders represented virtues (faith, humility, generosity). Landing on a virtue lifted you toward liberation (Moksha); landing on a vice sent you back.

The British brought the game to England in the 19th century, where it was adapted with Victorian moral themes. Milton Bradley introduced it to America in 1943 as Chutes and Ladders, rebranding snakes as playground slides to make it more child-friendly.

8 Variants

Chutes and Ladders (USA)

The American edition replaces snakes with chute slides and uses illustrated virtue/vice scenes. Rules are identical.

Team Play

Split players into 2 teams. Each team uses one token. Team members alternate rolling on the team's behalf. First team token to reach 100 wins.

Speed Rules

Roll two dice instead of one. Dramatically shortens game length and reduces the impact of any single bad snake hit.

9 FAQ