Parcheesi is an American version of the Ancient game of Pachisi, the national game of India, in which you race around a track on the game board, attempting to block your opponents while moving your markers to the goal. The game is also known as Pachisi, Parchisi, Parchesi, and Twenty-Five, and is a descendent of the older game of Chaupar.

Parcheesi, a family classic since the 1860s, is the ultimate race-and-chase board game. The object is take four pawns from start to home, using rolls of the dice to dictate your moves. It sounds easy, but to accomplish your mission you have to first roll a five to even move off of start, and then you must avoid running into blockades and dodge your opponents, who threaten at every turn to send you back to the beginning. If you plot your moves strategically and use the safety zones scattered around the board, you might just make it.

American counterparts include Parcheesi, Sorry, and Trouble.

Parcheesi Games

Parcheesi  BUY NOW  $12.99

The classic race and chase game. Get your animal pawn from start to home first and you win. But you have to get past your opponent's blockades, or get captured and sent back to start. A favorite for more than 100 years. This new edition of the game includes a 20" by 20" Game Board, 4 Tiger Pawns, 4 Elephant Pawns, 4 Water Buffalo Pawns, 4 Camel Pawns, and 2 Wooden Dice.

Cheesy Parcheesy is fun for the whole family! Race your family of mice around the path and up their secret passage to the delectable cheese feast in the center of the board. The first player to get all four mice to the feast wins - but look out! There's a cat lurking around and he wants to scare your mice back! Your opponents can bump your mice back to your "mousepad" forcing them to start all over again. The good news "Cheese" cards help you move quickly. Cards like "Super Swiss" and "Parmesan Party" will have you flying past your opponents in a flash. Cheesy Parcheesy is a fun new twist on a classic game - it's never been so much fun or so cheesy!

Hoyle Puzzle & Board Games 2005   BUY NOW 

A Game for Every Player. A Game for Every Night! Get in on the action with over 30 board and puzzle games. Get ahead faster with In-Game Tutorials that walk you through the fun, step-by-step. Bend your mind around 18 challenging puzzle games, from crosswords to word searches. Then test your skill at board games such as Backgammon, Battleship, Checkers, Chess, Chinese Checkers, Dominoes, Mahjong Tiles, Mancala, Pachisi, Reversi, Yacht, and more family favorites. Two bonus games, Backgammon and Placer Racer, are also available for play on Palm OS and PocketPC handhelds. Also Available: Hoyle Table Games 2004 Hoyle Board Games 2003, Hoyle Board Games 2002.

Carl's Classics is a game collection with 14 classic games like Chess, Backgammon, Checkers, Reversi, Pachisi, Gomoku, Chinese Checkers, and many more. You can choose to play against an animated computer player, who's skill level you can change, or play against another player on the same computer. You can also play against another player over the Internet or through a network. Shareware $19.95.

Aimed at casual gamers of all ages, pocketPachisi features colorful animated graphics, strong computer opponents and the same fun family gameplay of the original boardgame that will have you coming back for more! The game is now available for PocketPC (ARM & MIPS devices). Play against 3 computer opponents or up to 3 of your friends on one device. Multiple gameplay speeds let you customize the flow of the game to your own preference.

Parcheesi Links

Parcheesi Rules

Rules to the game of Parcheesi, as reprinted from an old game. From the excellent Game Cabinet Rules site.

History and information about the game of Pachisi, the national game of India. Part of James Masters' Online Guide to Traditional Games site.

An online version of a Ludo-like game, from GameSquare, based in the Netherlands.

An online version of the Parcheesi game, from Ludoteka.com, the web site where you can play the more interesting board and Spanish card games with other people on the net.

See Also: Ludo, Sorry, Trouble