The games
Rules, history, and how to play — for eleven games the world has loved the longest.
The rules in plain words, the story behind each board, and a move or two to try. Chess, backgammon, go, oware, bagh chal and more — written to be read by someone who has never played.
Indiac. 600 CEChess
Where kings fall, queens rise.
How to play →
Chinac. 2300 BCEGo
Two stones. Infinite universes.
How to play →
Chinac. 800 CEXiangqi
Two generals. One river between.
How to play →
Mesopotamiac. 3000 BCETavla
Five thousand years of luck.
How to play →
West Africac. 1600 CEOware
Plant. Harvest. Repeat.
How to play →
Nepalc. 1500 CEBagh Chal
Sometimes the goats win.
How to play →
Scandinaviac. 400 CEHnefatafl
The king must run.
How to play →
Roman Empirec. 50 CENine Men's Morris
Three in a row. Three thousand years.
How to play →
New Zealandpre-1800sMū Tōrere
Four stones. Eight points. Endless thought.
How to play →
Mesoamericac. 200 CEPatolli
The game the empire forbade.
How to play →
Korea2024Wall Go
Every wall is a decision.
How to play →