What is Sho? Bhutan's dice game of shells, coins and calls
4 min read
An introduction to Sho (yam), the traditional dice game played in Bhutan and Tibet: what you need, how a game feels and why people love it.
Sho is a race game played with two dice, a wooden cup, a round leather pad, a ring of cowrie shells and a handful of coins for each player. It is known across the Himalayas, and in Bhutan it is a favourite at gatherings, during Losar and whenever friends have an afternoon to spare. In everyday speech you will also hear it called yam.
What you need
- Two dice, thrown together. Only the total counts.
- A wooden cup to shake the dice and slam them down.
- A thick leather pad in the middle. The loud slam of the cup on the pad is part of the fun.
- 64 cowrie shells laid out in a spiral around the pad. They are the track.
- Nine coins for each player, two to four players in all.
The idea in one sentence
Each player brings their nine coins onto the shells, moves them round the spiral and off the end. The first to bring all nine coins home wins.
What makes it exciting
Coins of different players can never share a shell. Land on your own coins and they join into a stack that moves together. Land on a rival's stack that is the same size or smaller, and you kill it: those coins go back to their owner's hand and have to start again. Both stacking and killing give you another throw, so a single turn can swing the whole game.
Every throw is announced with its traditional call, from pa ra for two to jang for twelve. Players shout the calls as they slam the cup, which makes a game of Sho loud, quick and very social.
Play it here
On this site you can play Sho against computer players, with friends using an invite code, or with random players online. Start with the rules and the article on the number calls.
Try it now against the computer, or find real players online.