Board Games
How to play Chutes and Ladders
Follow numbered squares to one hundred. Ladder bottoms lift you; chute tops send you down.
What you need
Numbered board, assembled spinner and separate pawn per player
Set up the game
- Begin just off-board beside square one. Highest setup spin starts, then play left.
- Trace how numbered rows reverse direction; follow numbers instead of moving straight upward.
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Playing Chutes and Ladders
- Spin once and advance that many numbered squares. The first step from off-board enters one.
- Ending at a ladder bottom moves you to its top; ending at a chute top moves you to its bottom. End your turn there.
- Passing endpoints does not trigger them. Squares crossed by the middle of a drawing are ordinary. Pawns may share squares.
- Win by reaching one hundred exactly, including its ladder from eighty. An overshooting spin leaves you in place for another turn.
The endpoint matters
From forty-six a spin of two reaches forty-eight. A chute’s drawing crossing that square does nothing unless forty-eight is its actual top endpoint. Continue along the number path on the next turn.
Help without taking over
Ask the child to identify the destination, then let them move. If the count is wrong, retrace the route before the next spin. The endpoint illustrations can start a conversation, but changing a result to reward behavior changes the game. Keep noncompetitive practice distinct from the printed race.
Shortening needs agreement
A time-limited session can suit limited patience, but it is a house adaptation, not the printed finish. Say the plan before playing. If stopping early, call it stopping the game rather than inventing a winner based on who happened to lead.
Expect the direction change
A row boundary is the common place to miscount. Point from ten to eleven and from twenty to twenty-one before the first game. The pawn travels across the next row in the opposite direction, even when the board’s artwork makes a vertical shortcut look tempting.
Beginner decisions
- Let a child point at each new square. Counting the current square as step one ends one space short.
- Focus on number order, not a supposed winning strategy: the spinner decides movement.
Common rule mix-ups
- Climbing because any part of a ladder crosses a square.
- Bumping another pawn out of a shared square.
Questions about this game
May I refuse a chute?
No.
Must I spin a ladder’s entire length?
No. Land at its bottom, then climb.
Sources and edition notes
Hasbro B7742 Retro Series 1978 Edition, 2015 publication, four pawns. A4756 may contain three.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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