Parqués game, guideline to learning how to play it

What is parqués?

Parqués game is as famous as vallenato music. It is played by families all around the country and is so popular that it has its own tournaments and even has a 3D version. For many people, the game is a matter of luck, but for the most addicted players, it is a matter of science because it involves more strategy than you think.

Simply put, the game aims to move your pieces around the board, to the finish, before the other players. But you will face many obstacles, and so will need to be strategic, and come up with tricks, so that you can beat everyone else. It sounds easy, right? Maybe not that easy.

A little bit of the history of parqués game

Although parqués game is a Colombian game, it has similarities to some different games from other parts of the world. It is said that the first version of this popular game was invented in India and it was called Chaupar. Originally, the emperor Abdul Momin, sultan of Brunei, played this game. Later on, the game was taken to different parts of the world because of slavery. In the case of Colombia, as well as many other countries in South America, the slaves brought over from India, China, and other Asian countries to work in the sugar mills introduced it.

All the variations of parqués game, such as Parcheesi, Parchís, and Ludo, share similar characteristics. But they vary in the number of dice and pieces used, as well as the size of the board and the rules.

How to play a parqués game?

For starters, parqués game can be played with 2 to 12 players, depending on the type of board. To move around the board, different colored pieces are given to each player. This part is important because the colors will identify each contender, in the jail and in the home, safe, and arrival boxes. Let us study the board.

Parts of the board of parqués game

• The jail

This is where all the players must put their pieces at the beginning of the game. To free the piece from the jail, the player has three opportunities to roll the dice and get pairs; otherwise, they will have to pass.

Pairs of 1 or 6 will allow the player to free their 4 pieces; pairs of the other numbers will only allow the player to free 2 pieces.

• The home box

This is where the pieces are placed when freed.

• The safe box

When pieces are placed in this box, other players cannot capture them.

• The arrival box

Players reach this box after moving around the entire board and this is the final part of the game. If one player places their piece at the end of this box before the other contenders, they win.

So, now that we know how the board works, we can go to the start. To begin, each player receives 4 pieces of the same color and they must all be placed in the jail. Each person will take a turn to roll the dice three times until they get any pairs to free their pieces. If they are unlucky, he or she will have to pass until their next turn.

Once you have freed your pieces, you will have to place them in the home box. Next, the idea is to move all your pieces across the board while rolling the dice once on each turn. So, for example, imagine you rolled a 2 and 3. You could move one of your pieces 5 boxes or move two pieces 2 and 3 boxes, respectively. This is where strategy comes in, but we will talk about this in a little bit.

Now, let us talk about capturing pieces

While you move around the board, you could land on the same box as your opponents, which allows you to capture their piece and send it to their jail. This can happen to you too, so, to avoid being captured, you must try to place your pieces in the safe box. Never forget to capture your opponent’s piece. It is mandatory. If you forget to do it, you will be penalized and your own piece will go directly to jail.

The other players can call you out if you forget to capture an opponent’s piece, which is called “soplar”. Also, if your piece is placed on the home box, it is safe. As it was stated before, each player will have one opportunity to roll the dice and move their pieces. However, there are some exceptions to take into account:

• When you need to get out of jail, you have three chances to roll the dice to get at least one pair.
• While playing, if you throw a pair, you win an extra move.
• And the most exciting one, if you throw three pairs in a row, you can move one of your pieces to the final box.

Finally, when you have moved around the whole board and arrived at the finish box, which has 9 spaces, you will have to throw the exact number to reach the end. At this point, you will play with only one dice, and the idea is to throw the same number as the number of boxes left to reach the end.

Some tricks to play parqués game

In theory, parqués game seems easy, but it actually involves many strategies so that you can free your pieces before anyone else does. Also, be always aware of where your pieces are located and how close they are to your opponents’ pieces or the safe boxes. Pay attention to your opponents’ game, because if you can call out your opponent when he or she forgets to capture, you could be rewarded at the end.

As you can see, parqués game is a very entertaining and tricky game to play and you can play it with anyone you like. It may seem like a very calm game, but do not let it fool you. Once you get going and caught up in the heat of the moment, it can become strategic and competitive. So, what are you waiting for?