Chess is one of the world’s most popular games and dates back to chaturanga, a sixth-century Indian battle game involving four armies. Chess spread from India into neighbouring Persia, from where it ...

Like chess, draughts belongs to the category of “military” games. Games similar to draughts were reputedly played in the days of the early Egyptian pharaohs and are mentioned in the works of the Gree...

Knucklebones ( babki ) was a traditional game in Russia. The babki were made out of the lower joints of the leg bones of cattle, as was the bat used to knock them down, which was often cast inside fr...

Spillikins ( biryulki ) was a set of toy objects, such as furniture, crockery, ladders, hats, sticks and agricultural implements. Several people played the game. The players were supposed to take it ...