How the games are played and talked about around the world.
Backgammon
Explore the true history of backgammon: from the Royal Game of Ur and Roman Tabula to Sasanian Nard, Alfonso X’s tables, and modern tournament play.
Backgammon
Discover how traditional Mediterranean and Middle Eastern tables games differ from Western backgammon in cube rules, pinning, and starting setups.
Checkers
Settle your kitchen-table disputes: what tournament rules say about mandatory captures, the myth of huffing, flying kings, and the double-corner draw.
Checkers
Discover Italian Dama and Turkish Dama: two unique Mediterranean checkers variants featuring king immunity, strict capture hierarchies, and orthogonal flight.
Checkers
Explore the world’s major checkers variants and how they rank in difficulty, from English draughts and Russian shashki to 10x10 International and Turkish dama.
