Bhutanese, Lhasa and beginner rules compared
4 min read
Sho rules differ from place to place. A clear comparison of the Bhutanese, Lhasa and beginner rule sets used on this site.
There is no single rule book for Sho. The basics are shared everywhere, but details change from region to region and even from family to family. This site offers three ready-made rule sets, and you can switch individual rules on or off when you start a game.
What is the same everywhere
- Two dice, and the total is what counts.
- Nine coins each, moved along the shells and off the end.
- One player per shell: stack on your own coins, kill equal or smaller enemy stacks.
- Stacking and killing give another throw.
- The first to bring all nine coins home wins.
Bhutanese rules
Extra count past the end is yours to use: move any of your stacks forward by it, or bring a new coin in on that shell. The 3 + 6 throw can bring every coin from your hand in at once, nine-coin stacks are allowed, and the losing players may team up against a clear leader.
Lhasa rules
Extra count past the end is lost. When you have no legal move, you may kill a bigger stack where you would enter, then enter one more coin than you killed. There is no alliance against the leader.
Beginner rules
A gentle start: the first player is chosen at random, a single legal move is played for you, and extra count past the end is lost. Ideal for learning.
Opening throw
In every rule set on this site, each player starts by entering two coins with their first throw. If that lands on another player's first coins, you kill them and enter three, and the chain grows by one each time the next player does the same.
Try it now against the computer, or find real players online.