Pachisi: Incense of India

Among all of the classic board games from around the world, a shining  jewel in the crown of such fun is the Indian game known as Pachisi.  Much finer than the most aromatic wholesale herbal incense in the world, this is a game with history and style. The Pachisi board is shaped like a cross, which is usually embroidered onto a circle, and the game play takes place on the cruciform part of the board.  Each player gets four pieces to play with, called cowries and named after a kind of shell which they resemble.

The objective of each player is to move all four of his or her pieces completely around the board once in a  counter-clockwise pattern before their opponents do so.  In order to determine who goes first, each player throws his cowires.  The player with the highest score from cowrie throws starts the game.  Gaming continues counter-clockwise around the board after this point.  Each person’s first piece may leave the Charkoni (or the starting point of the game, in the center of everything, where pieces begin to move from) on any given throw. Players move their pieces down along the middle column of their respective arm of the board, and then move them counter-clockwise around the outside columns.

Once a piece has made its entire trip around the board, it has also moved back up the center column in its own arm of the cross shape. Pieces that are returning from around the board are sometimes placed on their sides in order to show they are different from any pieces that have just entered the game.  No piece can return to the Charkoni except by a throw that is direct.

This game, rich in history and tradition, makes a fine accompaniment to a mahogany study with luxury cigars and brandy.   As with anything, it depends on where you purchase your set and what you are looking for in it from a decorative standpoint;  just as there are masculine looking wooden sets, there are also pretty and child-like cardboard boards decorated in soft blues and pinks, suitable for childrens’ playrooms or trips out of town during summer break or other holidays.    It’s a lovely game overall, and people have been playing it since at least the 1600s, although it is believed to be far more ancient than that.  Give Pachisi a try.