How to play Senet

A word about the rules

Senet was played in ancient Egypt, but no rulebook has survived. The rules on this page are a modern reconstruction, based on the work of historians who studied old boards and pictures. Different reconstructions exist, so you may see other rules elsewhere. All of them make a good game.

What you need

• A board of 30 squares, in 3 rows of 10.
• 10 pieces: 5 for each player, in two colours.
• 4 throwing sticks, flat on one side and rounded or dark on the other.

The path

Pieces travel along the board in a snake shape. They move along the top row from left to right, drop down and move along the middle row from right to left, then drop again and move along the bottom row from left to right. Square 1 is at the start of the top row and square 30 is at the end of the bottom row.

Setting up

Place the 10 pieces on squares 1 to 10, alternating the colours. The player who throws first takes the pieces on squares 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9; the other player, whose piece is furthest along on square 10, throws second.

Throwing the sticks

Throw all four sticks and count how many land with the flat (light) side up:

• 1 flat side up: move 1, and throw again
• 2 flat sides up: move 2
• 3 flat sides up: move 3
• 4 flat sides up: move 4, and throw again
• no flat sides up: move 5, and throw again

Playing a turn

Choose any one of your pieces and move it forward by the number you threw. You must move if you can.

• Empty square: simply move there.
• One enemy piece: you swap places. Your piece goes there, and theirs moves back to the square you came from.
• Two or more enemy pieces in a row: these protect each other. You cannot land on them, but you may jump over a pair.
• Three enemy pieces in a row: these form a wall. You cannot pass them at all.
• Your own piece: you cannot land on it. Your own pieces never block you.

“In a row” means on squares next to each other along the path, so pieces on squares 10 and 11, or 20 and 21, count as side by side even though the path turns there. No square is safe on its own: a lone piece can be swapped anywhere, even on the special squares.

If you cannot make any move, your turn is over, even if you threw a 1, 4 or 5. In this version you never move backwards.

The special squares

• Square 15 is the house of rebirth. Pieces sent back return here.
• Square 26, often shown with a lucky sign, must be landed on exactly. Every piece must stop here before going further, so a throw that would carry a piece past it cannot be used for that piece.
• Square 27 is the water. The only way in is a throw of 1 from square 26. A piece that lands here is sent back to square 15, or to the nearest empty square before it. A throw of 1 still earns another throw.
• Squares 28, 29 and 30 need an exact throw to leave the board: a 3 from square 28, a 2 from 29 and a 1 from 30. From square 26, a throw of 5 also takes a piece straight off. A smaller throw moves a piece along these squares as usual (for example, a 1 from 28 moves it to 29).

Winning

Moving a piece off the end of the board is called bearing off. The first player to bear off all five pieces wins.

Common variants

Because Senet is a reconstruction, many versions exist. Some use 7 pieces each. Some allow pieces to move backwards when no forward move is possible. Some treat the squares near the end differently. Feel free to agree your own house rules.

Tips for beginners

• Pair up your pieces. Two pieces side by side cannot be attacked.
• Build a wall. Three in a row can hold back your opponent’s whole army.
• Do not leave pieces alone near the end. A lone piece on squares 26 to 30 is easy to swap back.
• Use your extra throws well. A throw of 1, 4 or 5 gives you another go, so plan two moves ahead.
• Steer clear of the water. When you can, avoid moves that could leave you landing on square 27.