Overview

Colorito is an abstract strategy game originally published in 1892. Players move numbered, colored pieces diagonally across the board to reach target spaces on the opposite side. Each piece must land on the space matching its number and color. The player who achieves this in fewer moves wins.

Components

• 1 Colorito board (2 pads)
• 10 red pieces numbered 1 to 10
• 10 yellow pieces numbered 11 to 20
• 10 dark blue pieces numbered 1 to 10
• 10 light blue pieces numbered 11 to 20

Setup

1. One player takes dark blue (1-10) and light blue (11-20) pieces; the other takes red (1-10) and yellow (11-20).
2. Place the board between players so each player has the arrows of their colors on their side.
3. Place pieces on the first two rows according to the numbers: red pieces start on blue-numbered spaces and vice versa.

Turn Structure

Players agree who starts. Turns alternate. There are no captures.

On each turn, a player MUST move ONE piece using one of the following movement types.

Actions

Step

Move the piece to an adjacent space (orthogonal or diagonal, any direction) that is the same color as the piece or white (numbered).

Jump

Jump over one adjacent piece (own or opponent’s) in a straight line, landing on a free space directly behind it. This can be repeated as many times as possible (orthogonal or diagonal), as long as the last space landed on is the same color as the piece or white (numbered).

Step-Jump Combination

First perform a Step, then perform a Jump. The intermediate landing space after the Step does not need to match the piece’s color, since the move has not yet ended. The final landing space must match.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends when one player gets all pieces on the target spaces with matching numbers and colors. If the starting player finishes first, the opponent gets one more move to attempt a tie.

The remaining moves needed by the loser to reach the objective count as their negative score.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• You cannot step solely on colored spaces (must also include white/numbered spaces).
• Special situation: If the only target spaces of a player not yet occupied by their correct pieces are occupied by opponent’s pieces, that player is declared the winner.
• “Just Colours” variant (easier): Ignore the numbers entirely. Just get pieces onto the row with the matching color to win.
• “Strict game” variant (harder): Even in a Step-Jump, the Step must land on a space with the piece’s own color or white before starting the Jump.

Player Reference

Movement	Description
Step	Move to adjacent same-color or white space (any direction)
Jump	Leap over adjacent piece, land on free space behind it; repeatable
Step-Jump	Step first, then jump; final space must match color