Although it may look easy, Quoridor is a very strategic and competitive game. You’ll learn the basics of how to play this maze-like game in these Quoridor rules, with some helpful information on the placement of fences and pawns.
Considered an abstract strategy game, similar to Chess and Blokus (see Blokus rules), Quoridor is a play on words for “corridor,” which means “a usually narrow passageway or route.”
Throughout the game, an open path or “corridor” must always lead to the opposite wall of every pawn’s starting space. Decide on your turn if you want to move your pawn or focus on rerouting other players by placing a fence!
This Quoridor rules guide will cover the following:
- What is Quoridor
- What you’ll need to play Quoridor
- Quoridor rules
- How to win Quoridor
- FAQs
- Similar game guides
Find out how to play Quoridor by reading more below!
What is Quoridor?
Quoridor is an abstract strategy game where players need to successfully move their pawn to the opposite side of the board while moving around the placement of fences.
Number of players: 2 or 4
Ages: 8+
Difficulty: Easy
Length of play: 15min
Category: board game, abstract strategy, competitive, maze
Similar to: Santorini, Chinese Checkers
Main Objective: Be the first player to get your pawn to the opposite side of the game board.
Why We Love It: We love the simplicity of the game with the added challenge of getting around the fences.
What You’ll Need to Play Quoridor
Everything you need to play Quoridor can be found in its box:
The following components can be found inside each game:
- 20 Wood fences
- 4 Pawns
- Wooden game board
- Instruction guide
Quoridor Rules
Game Setup
- Each player places their pawn on the middle square of the first row on their side of the board. If playing with only 2 players, be sure to place your pawns directly across the board from each other.
- Determine which player goes first and provide fences to each player:
- 2 Player game – 10 fences each
- 4 Player game – 5 fences each
You are now ready to start playing Quoridor!
How to Play Quoridor
On your turn, you have two moves to choose from:
- Move your pawn one square forward, backward, left, or right.
- You may jump over another pawn if it is directly next to you and land on its opposite side.
- If there is a fence between you and another pawn, you cannot jump over that pawn.
- You cannot jump over fences.
- If there is a fence on the other side of a pawn you are trying to jump over, you can land your pawn on an available spot next to that pawn, instead.
- Place a fence on the game board.
- A fence must be placed in alignment with two squares.
- Fences must be placed in a way where all pawns still have an available path to make it to the opposite side of the board.
How to Win Quoridor
The player that successfully moves their pawn to the opposite side of the game board wins! They must land their pawn on any of the 9 available squares on the last row.
Video Tutorial for Quoridor
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you double jump pawns in Quoridor?
No double jumping is allowed; you may only jump one pawn per turn.
Can you move a fence in Quoridor?
Once a fence is placed and that player’s turn is over, that fence cannot be moved again. Be sure to pay careful attention to fence positioning to make sure there is always an available path for all players!
Can you move diagonally in Quoridor?
You are not allowed to move diagonally in Quoridor. However, if you are trying to jump a pawn that is in front of you but there is a fence behind them, you can instead jump to an available space to that pawn’s left or right.
Other Similar Games to Quoridor (Our Guides)
If you enjoyed reading about Quoridor, check out these similar strategy games (if we have covered them):
