MPL GAME: Two Steps from Home in Ludo—Can You Use a Four?

A Ludo token needs two steps to finish, but the die shows four. Compare two board situations and seek Ganesha's blessing for a clear, patient finish.

Your token is nearly home. The die shows four, and your hand reaches towards it. Then someone at the board says, “Only two steps left. You cannot use that four here.”

Must the whole turn be missed, or can another token move? For this MPL GAME reader's Ludo exercise, use an exact-finish rule: the roll must match the remaining distance to bring a token home. The Ludo instructions from Funskool India specify an exact count for finishing. We will use one die and move one token by its full value on each turn.

Count the destination, not the square you occupy

Place a token in its home lane with one empty square between it and the final home space. Draw the last part of the route on paper:

Current position → one empty square → home

The first step reaches the empty square; the second reaches home. Do not count the token's starting square as a step.

A two finishes this token. A one moves it to the last square before home. A four is too large for it: you cannot move two steps and discard the remaining two, or carry the token past home and bounce it backwards under the rule used here.

Keep the token where it is while checking the rest of the board. “This token cannot move” is only the first part of the decision.

Same roll, two different turns

In the first position, three of your tokens have already finished. The fourth is the one waiting two steps from home. You roll four. None of your tokens can use it, so no token moves and the turn passes. The finished tokens do not return to the track to use an unwanted roll.

In the second position, two tokens have finished, one is two steps from home and the last is still on the outer track. For this example, the four squares ahead of that last token are clear, with no obstacle to the move. The die again shows four. Move the outer token the full four squares; leave the token in the home lane where it was.

Do not split the roll into two steps for each token. In this exercise, one token uses the whole roll. The four has not become unusable merely because it does not suit the token closest to finishing.

A prayer to Bappa before the final stretch

It is easy to grow impatient when only a few squares remain. Before your next game, take darshan of Ganesha on Ishta Mel. Bappa is worshipped as the giver of wisdom and remover of obstacles; bring him the wish to see the last part of the path clearly, even when you are eager to finish.

The offering area brings together modak, durva, a red flower, coconut and a deepak. Offer this group with a prayer:

Ganpati Bappa, accept my offering. Bless the path I have yet to complete. Remove my confusion, give me patience when I must wait, and help me recognise the move that is open before me.

ॐ गं गणपतये नमः

What changes if the next roll is one?

Return to the first position, with three tokens finished. On your next turn, suppose you roll one. Your last token can advance to the square immediately before home. It now needs one, rather than two, to finish. Exact entry does not mean a token must stand still throughout the home lane until it can finish in a single move.

Before rolling again, say how many steps remain from the token's new position. That small count prevents the old distance from lingering in your mind. Two was correct before the move; one is correct now.

If a friend queries the earlier four, show both positions: in one there was no legal move, while in the other the outer token could use it. The number on the die was the same. The available moves were different.