Learn about the Royal Game of Ur

The Royal Game of Ur is one of the longest-living games in history, with evidence of it being enjoyed by people that lived over the course of many thousands of years. This affords the game a huge wealth of history to explore and discover, and in fact, you can experience this history yourself by playing the game!

You would think a game that has lasted millennia would be fun, and it is fun!-Irving Finkel
British Museum curator Irving Finkel.
British Museum curator Irving Finkel.

Articles

A photo of a Royal Game of Ur board that was made using resin.

Rules of the Royal Game of Ur

The Royal Game of Ur is war! You roll the dice and battle to move your pieces around and off the board before your opponent. Read more...

A photo of the unique tetrahedral dice used for the Royal Game of Ur.

Dice of the Royal Game of Ur

The unique tetrahedral dice commonly used for the Royal Game of Ur are read by counting the number of marked corners facing upwards after rolling. Read more...

Screenshot from a game review.

How Game Review works

Game review helps you by analysing your moves, highlighting your best moments, and suggesting improvements. Read more...

A set of four tetrahedral dice

Senet - The Ancient Egyptian Game

Senet is one of the oldest board games in the world, originating in ancient Egypt over 4500 years ago. Senet boards are often found with boards for the Royal Game of Ur on their other side. Read more...

A photo of a Royal Game of Ur board that was made using resin.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Royal Game of Ur is also known as the Game of Twenty Squares. Skill matters a lot when playing the game. Read more...

Articles on other websites

The Royal Game of Ur by TradGames

The first civilisation in human history is thought to be that of Sumer located in Southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). Boards found in the ancient Sumerian royal tombs at Ur (~2600BC) seem to be some sort of race game. Read more...

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