These ancient board games influence some of today's family favorites. With roots in China, Egypt, India and Rome, you'll recognize these earlier versions of your favorite board games and appreciate their origin.
Wei-Qi, also called "Go," is a deceptively simple game that was invented in China around 2300 BCE. The rules as played today were developed in Japan after the game was imported to that country around 700 AD. This is a two player game where each player tries to capture territory to win the game. The rules can be learned in just a few minutes. However, the strategies behind Wei-Qi can be quite complex.
The exact rules of S'n't, also called "Senet" or "Senat" are unknown. However, Senet boards have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, including one in the tomb of Tutankhamen, or "King Tut." This board game reflected ancient Egyptian beliefs regarding life and death. The popularity of Senet waned as Christianity spread, likely because of the "pagan" aspects of the game. Today, Senet can be played using either Bell's Rules or Kendall's Rules, which were created after the rediscovery of the game. The differences between the two sets of rules include how the game is started and the number of pieces each player has.
Chess was developed in India, probably before the seventh century AD. From India, the game traveled to Persia and then to Arab countries, ultimately being imported into Europe. Today's rules started being set during the Renaissance. Interestingly, before the Renaissance, the queen was not as powerful as she is now. As queens came to acquire more power in world, so did queens in chess. Chess, a game of war that is conducted by two players, relies completely on strategy. Unlike many other games, there is no chance involved in playing chess.
The game that we now call "Backgammon" has its roots in an ancient Roman game, Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum, which may, in turn, have developed from Senet. Backgammon, as played today, evolved during the early 1600s in Europe. Backgammon is also called "Tric-Trac," "Tavole Reale" and "Puff."
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