The new Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit" has become a global hit these days
As Deutsche Welle notes, board games are not only entertainment for the whole family, but also a way to develop strategic skills. Let's recall the origins of some of the oldest ones.
CHESS
During the pandemic, chess, which is more than one and a half thousand years old, experienced a true renaissance. The Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit," released in 2020, set a new record – in the first 28 days, it was watched by 62 million viewers.
Unsurprisingly, interest in chess immediately grew. The number of searches for chess on Google doubled, sales of chess boards through online stores increased, and the number of members registered on the chess.com platform increased fivefold!
Scholars suggest that chess originated in India: in the 6th century, an earlier form of the game called chaturanga was played there. The oldest found pieces date back to 760 AD, and the oldest surviving book on chess theory was published in 1497.
The goal of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king. Checkmate is preceded by check. The term "checkmate" is believed to come from Persian and means that the king has fallen or been defeated.
NINE MEN'S MORRIS
Even older is Nine Men's Morris. The oldest known board for this game dates back to 1400 BC. It was discovered on the roof of a temple in the Egyptian village of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna on the west bank of the Nile.
The Romans liked this game in two variants: "Mola" and "Mola rotunda." Numerous game boards made of wood, ivory, marble, or clay have survived from the Roman Empire.
If a board was not at hand, the Romans simply drew or scratched lines for the game on slabs or steps. Such evidence, for example, can be found on the steps of the basilica at the Roman Forum in Rome. Lines of the ancient game are also preserved on the marble slab from which Charlemagne's throne was built in the Palatine Chapel in the German city of Aachen.
Nine Men's Morris was one of the most popular board games for many centuries. Only at the beginning of the 19th century was it largely replaced by chess.
CHECKERS
The game of checkers is much older, dating back to 3000 BC. A game board from this period was found in the royal tombs of the ancient settlement of Ur in present-day Iraq. The rules of the game that have come down to us originated in the 12th century in present-day Spain or southern France. The game "Alquerque," which is still popular in Spain and Portugal, as well as in Turkey and Italy, is considered the predecessor of checkers.
BACKGAMMON
The oldest board made of ebony with elements of turquoise and agate for playing backgammon dates back to the same time as the checkers boards found in Iraq.
Thanks to the Romans, backgammon became known throughout their sphere of influence. Although it was forgotten in Europe over time, interest in backgammon was revived during the Crusades. Initially, backgammon was a popular pastime for aristocrats, but over time, common people also took it up.
Backgammon games were so popular in medieval France that they took up too much time, so King Louis IX in 1254 had to forbid his courtiers and subjects from playing them. But, as is known, necessity breeds ingenuity, so the French secretly continued to play backgammon on small boards disguised as books. The winner of this strategic game is the one who first moves all 15 of their pieces off the board.
SENET
Numerous drawings on tombs in Egypt prove that this game has existed since at least 3000 BC. Not only pharaohs but also representatives of all social strata loved to play this strategic game.
Senet in later times was associated with the journey to the afterlife. The game is mentioned in the ancient Egyptian "Book of the Dead" and other religious texts, as well as in myths. The game is for two players, and many of the squares that must be crossed show possible dangers on the path to the afterlife. The game was not just entertainment but also had mythological significance with numerous references to the movement of the sun.
The rules of the game have not come down to us, but most likely the winner is the one who first removes all their pieces from the board of 30 squares. There are several proposed reconstructions that allow playing with varying degrees of complexity, but which one was the most popular, no one can say for sure.
MEHEN
The Egyptians apparently had a very popular game called Mehen. It was invented around 3000 BC. A game board was discovered in the tomb of Pharaoh Seth-Peribsen. Mehen was a god from the underworld who received the deceased king and then accompanied him during his journey through the underworld, wrapping his head or his entire body in cloth.
Mehen was played on a spiral-shaped board in the form of a snake. The game pieces looked like balls or resembled the shape of a lion. How these pieces were placed on the board and what the rules of the game were is still unknown.
GO
In China, the game of Go, which is still very popular, was not only entertainment but also a priority of the aristocracy. The game, which originated in the 4th century BC, was one of the four arts that a nobleman had to master, along with calligraphy, painting, and playing the string instrument guzheng. This game is still popular in China, Japan, and Korea.
Go is one of the most widespread board games in terms of total number of players in the world. It is among the five basic disciplines of the World Mind Games. The goal of the game is to surround more territory with your pieces than the opponent does.
XIANGQI
Xiangqi, the so-called Chinese chess, originated in the fourth century BC. And to this day it is very popular in Asia. This so-called "game of the elephant" depicts a battle between two armies.
However, xiangqi has nothing in common with chess, despite the fact that victory is assured to the one whose 16 pawns overthrow the opponent's king. The game is played at the intersections of ten horizontal rows and nine vertical lines – similar to Go. In the center of the playing field is the "Yellow River", which divides the playing field into two kingdoms – red north and black south – and affects the movement of warriors and elephants.