Board Games
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff
The Evolution of Board Games
A look at some classic games and their ancient roots
You've played these classic board games since childhood, yet have you ever wondered where or when games like Checkers and Chess were invented? Believe it or not, some of our favorite games have ancient roots that date back 4000-5000 years. Here's a look at the origins of some popular games people play still today.
Checkers
Checkers Around the World | |
United States: | Checkers |
Great Britain: | Draughts |
Spain: | Dama |
Italy: | Dama |
France: | La Jeu de Dames |
Poland: | Warcaby |
Germany: | das Damenspiel |
Alquerque was played on a 5 x 5 point board, with the pieces arranged in a non-symmetrical pattern. The shift from the 5 x 5 point board to the 8 x 8 square board probably occurred in Southern France around 1100 AD when the game was played on a chess board, with 12 pieces on each side. Though Americans play Checkers on a 64-square board, the game is referred to as Draughts in England, and various adaptations are played throughout the world. One example is Polish Draughts which is played on a 100-square board.
Parcheesi
Parcheesi dates back to around 1300 years ago when it was known as Astapada. The game became known as Parcheesi which is derived from the Indian word "pacis" meaning 25. It was so called becasue 25 was the highest score that could be attained with the cowry shells it was orignially played with. Parcheesi is still very popular in India and has become the National Game of India.
Mancala
An ancient game, Mancala was evidently played in Egypt prior to 1000 B.C., then spread. Evidence of different variants of this game exist in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North America and it is still played in modern times.