Rules and practice

Ludo dead rolls: check every token before skipping a turn

Under Ludo Ghar rules, no legal move loses the turn; a sole legal mover must move. The useful question is therefore about the whole set of tokens, not just the first piece you notice.

Prepare a position with known distances

In this fictional no-money exercise, all four tokens have already reached their own home column. Label them A, B, C and D. Their remaining distances to Home are one, two, four and five steps respectively. Assume no additional obstruction. Exact arrival finishes a token; an excessive roll cannot move it.

A blocked-looking piece can hide two legal moves

For a roll of three, A and B cannot move because their remaining distances are smaller. C can advance three and remain one step away. D can advance three and remain two steps away. The candidate list is therefore C and D. Looking only at A would incorrectly label the roll dead.

Distinguish one option from zero options

Reset the same four starting distances. With a roll of five, only D can move, and it reaches Home. With a roll of six, none of the four can move. These are different outputs: one required mover versus no mover. Do not confuse a choice you dislike with an empty candidate list.

Use a complete candidate list

Write every token identifier before testing the roll, then cross out each ineligible token with its reason. Count the remaining identifiers last. This example deliberately excludes base entry, shared-track blockades and unfinished capture requirements; those would need separate checks rather than the distance-only test used here.

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