Backgammon and Ancient Board Games
Backgammon is the most ancient board game that still attracts contemporary players. Surprisingly, Backgammon is not the only popular board game with roots that go back centuries and even millenniums ago. Go has been invented in China about 3000 years ago, Mahjongg about 1500 later. About the same time, early variations of Chess have been played in several parts of the continent.
Go
Originated in China about 3000 years ago, the complicated strategy board game has broadened its audience to Japan, Korea and by the 19th century to America and Europe. Played by the two players who place stones in alternating colors on19x19 grid, the object of the game is to dominance a broader area on the board. Similar to Backgammon, Go rules are fairly easy yet the game occupies vast strategies.
Mahjongg
(Also spelled Mahjong or Mah-Jongg), the traditional Chinese game started out as a card game at the beginning of the 9th century AD and in time evolved as a tile game. Mahjongg rules and equipment vary from one place to another. Generally, each of the 4 participants receives 13/26-tiles/cards from which he/she form a hand. Each player, at his/her turn has to draw one tile and discard another, until one of the players completes the required hand (according to the specific variation rules).
Mahjongg is commonly played competitively and often surrounds gambling. Like Backgammon, Mahjongg has experienced a revival in the recent years as an online game. Online Mahjongg is often a solitaire game.
Chess
Often compared to Backgammon due to its sophisticated strategies and tactics, Chess roots go as far as the 6th century India to a game called Chaturanga. As in Backgammon, several variations have preceded today's acceptable version of chess (which was developed in Europe at the end of the 15th century). Another similarity between Chess and Backgammon is the interest of computer scientists in both games, whose chief goal was to build a program competent to the best player in the field. In both games, by the way, a machine has succeeded in taking over a human master.
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