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Family · Strategy

Strategy games: outthink the board

Outthink the board. Hunt the king, guard the throne, sow and capture, and follow the road from Chaturanga and Shatranj to modern chess. No dice in most of these games: what happens is up to the two players.

20 guides in the family3 playable here

All six game families

PlayableHnefatafl: Play Viking Chess OnlinePlay Hnefatafl, the Viking king's table, free in your browser - an 11x11 board with an AI that plays both sides, plus the real history from Linnaeus's Tablut.
PlayableMancala: Africa’s Ancient Game of Sowing and CountingExplore the ancient history of Mancala, the African sowing game dating back millennia. Discover its origins in Ethiopia, strategic gameplay, cultural significance, and how it spread across continents to become a global phenomenon.
PlayableNine Men’s MorrisLearn the complete rules and fascinating history of Nine Men's Morris, one of the world's oldest strategy board games. Played from ancient Rome to medieval Europe.
GameAlquerque: The Moorish Game That Became CheckersAlquerque, the Moorish capture game in Alfonso X’s 1283 Book of Games, is the ancestor of checkers. Its rules, disputed Egyptian roots, and what came next.
GameLatrunculi: The Lost Roman Strategy Game of Military TacticsLearn about Latrunculi, the sophisticated Roman military strategy board game. Complete history, reconstructed rules, and archaeological evidence of Rome's favorite game.
GameLiubo: The Lost Han Dynasty Board GameLiubo was the prestige board game of Han China - played by emperors, depicted on tomb murals, and now extinct. What the Mawangdui set tells us, and what is lost.
GamePoprad Game BoardIn the past week there has been a lot of buzz on the internet about the Poprad Game Board, which was found in Poprad, Slovakia, back in 2006, in a tomb of ...
GameRotaExplore the history and rules of Rota, an enigmatic game from the Roman Empire, first introduced to the modern world in 1916 by Elmer Truesdell Merrill.
GameSeega: Egypt’s Forgotten Game of StrategyExplore Seega, a forgotten Egyptian board game of pure strategy. Learn its simple rules, its tactical depth, and how it differs from the famous games of the Pharaohs.
GameThe White Pigeon Game: How an Ancient Chinese Lottery Became KenoDiscover báigē piào, the "White Pigeon Game," an ancient Chinese lottery created by the Han Dynasty to fund projects like the Great Wall. Learn how this game, using pigeons to deliver results, became the direct ancestor of modern casino Keno.
LearnWhen Was Chess Invented? A Complete TimelineChess was invented in India around 600 CE as Chaturanga. This complete timeline traces the game through Persia, the Islamic world, and 15th-century Spain to the modern rules.
HistoryChess vs Shogi vs Xiangqi: Three Paths from ChaturangaChess, shogi, and xiangqi all descend from Indian Chaturanga. Side-by-side comparison of rules, boards, pieces, and the cultural forces that split one game into three.
HistoryHnefatafl – TablutHnefatafl, meaning King’s Table (or literally, Fist Board Game) in Old Norse, is an asymmetric game of pure strategy played by the Vikings and neighboring ...
HistoryHnefatafl & Tawlbwrdd: The Great War Game of the Vikings Explore Hnefatafl, the Viking board game of siege and escape. Learn the rules of this thrillingly asymmetrical strategy game and its famous Welsh variant, Tawlbwrdd.
HistoryOware, Bao, and Kalah: Regional Mancala Traditions Around the WorldExplore the diverse Mancala traditions from West African Oware to East African Bao and American Kalah. Discover how this sowing game family spans continents and cultures.
HistoryShatranj: The Persian Game That Conquered the WorldDiscover Shatranj, the Persian chess variant that spread across the Islamic world and became the ancestor of modern chess. Learn the rules, history, and cultural significance.
HistoryShogi: Japan’s Unique Evolution of ChessExplore the history of Shogi, Japan's distinctive chess variant where captured pieces switch sides. From ancient origins to modern professional tournaments.
HistoryThe Art of Ancient Strategy: Thinking Like a Master GamerGo beyond the rules. Learn the core strategies and tactics of ancient games - from the racing logic of Senet to the siege warfare of Hnefatafl, and become a better gamer.
HistoryThe Complete History of Chess: From Chaturanga to GrandmastersDiscover the fascinating history of chess from its ancient Indian origins as Chaturanga through Persian Shatranj to the modern game. A comprehensive archaeological and historical analysis.
HistoryThe Strategic Giants: An Introduction to Go and XiangqiExplore Go and Xiangqi, the two great strategy board games of ancient China. Discover Go's profound simplicity and Xiangqi's unique evolution of chess.