Snakes and Ladders Board: Layout, Numbers and a Board to Print

A snakes and ladders board looks simple, and it is, but there is more design in it than most people notice. The numbers run in a zigzag, the longest snakes wait near the top, and where the ladders sit decides how long a game lasts.

Here is how a standard board is laid out, and a board of our own that you can save and print.

100 squares in a 10 by 10 grid

The standard board is a square grid of ten rows and ten columns, numbered from 1 to 100. Square 1 is in the bottom left corner, and the finish, square 100, is in the top row.

Boards have not always been this size. Some traditional boards from India had around seventy squares, others many more. The 100 square grid became the standard later.

Why the numbers zigzag

The numbers do not start again on the left of each new row. The first row runs from left to right, 1 to 10. Square 11 sits directly above square 10, and the second row runs back from right to left. The rows keep changing direction all the way up.

That way the path never jumps. Every square is next to the one before it, so your counter moves along one long winding track. On a board of ten rows, the top row runs from right to left, which puts square 100 in the top left corner.

How many snakes and ladders

There is no fixed number, and it changes from one board to the next. The board above has eight ladders and eight snakes.

Traditional boards from India often had more snakes than ladders, to show that falling is easier than climbing. Many modern boards keep the two numbers closer to even.

Where the snakes and ladders go

Where they sit matters more than how many there are. Good boards follow a few patterns.

• Short ladders near the start, so nobody spends the first few turns stuck at the bottom.
• At least one long ladder that can lift a player from the bottom half of the board to the top.
• Long snakes high up, in the 80s and 90s. Sliding from 98 back into the 60s is the moment everyone remembers.
• Never a ladder foot and a snake head on the same square.

A snake head a few squares below 100 makes the finish tense. A player can be one good roll from winning and still lose a lot of ground.

Make your own board

Drawing a board takes about half an hour, and it gives you a version nobody else has.

• Draw a 10 by 10 grid on a large sheet of paper.
• Number it from 1 in the bottom left, zigzagging up row by row to 100.
• Draw the ladders first, each one from a lower square up to a higher one.
• Add the snakes, each from a head on a higher square down to a tail on a lower one.
• Check that no square holds both a ladder foot and a snake head.

Play a test game before you colour it in. If it ends in a few minutes, add a snake. If it drags on, add a ladder.

Print the board

The board on this page is free to print for your own games. Save the image, print it on A4 or letter paper, and you are ready to play. Coins, buttons or bottle caps make good counters, and if you have no die, our online dice roller will roll one for you.

For the rules, there is a step by step guide to snakes and ladders, including what happens when a roll takes you past 100.

Play on a board online

Snakes and Ladders Jim uses the same 100 square board, and it moves your counter up the ladders and down the snakes for you. You can play with friends in a private room, against other players online, or against the computer.

Frequently asked questions

How many squares are on a snakes and ladders board?

100, in a grid of ten rows and ten columns. Some traditional boards from India had fewer squares and some had more.

Where is square 1 on a snakes and ladders board?

In the bottom left corner. The numbers then zigzag up the board, row by row, to 100.

Why is square 100 in the top left corner?

Because the rows change direction. The first row runs left to right, the second right to left, and so on, so the tenth row runs right to left and ends in the top left corner.

How many snakes and ladders are on a board?

There is no fixed number, and boards differ. The board on this page has eight of each.

Can I print a snakes and ladders board?

Yes. Save the board on this page and print it on A4 or letter paper. Then all you need is a counter for each player and a die.