Ancient Chinese board games are among the earliest evidence of human interaction in existence. These games date from more than 6000 BC, well before written records were even developed. Dice, wooden dice, and card games like Go die, Yahtzee, and Let’s Play Bingo, and abstract board games like Pai Gow in the United States are some of the oldest games known to man. The earliest archaeological evidence of board games and gaming systems is from the Tomb Yin Ruins at Henan, which features fifty-two beautifully carved ivory chess pieces, a game similar to Chess, which has been lost to history.
Playing games such as dominoes is recorded in history as far back as the second century BC, with the first written mention of a game played with dominoes occurring in the Bible, in the sixth century AD. Dominoes were played with tiles, and could be used as counters for other players. Two dominoes would be laid out, facing each other, and the objective was for all the tiles on both sides to fall off one side to form a pattern of seven, on the other side. If any tiles remained after all of the dominoes had fallen, they were simply discarded, and another round would be played. Dominoes have been used as a game since the time of the Ancient Romans, who referred to the process of dominoes as “tetrading.” Similar games that use tiles in their mechanism include tetris and dominoes.
Chess was a main competitor in the ancient world for gambling. The first piece that the game piece could have been a bishop, and the pieces were numbered to be able to be matched up in order to win a game. Dominoes, with their ten, solitary game pieces, were easily able to match up to this initial and somewhat cumbersome method of game play. With their unique rule set, chess games became an exciting spectator sport, and chess parties were common place in Europe during the Renaissance. These matches were often advertised in local newspapers, with the winner being declared the new King or Queen.
Chess games can be played by just about anyone, at any skill level. Because each player is allowed to use the same set of rules, even beginners can usually find a nice challenge when using these rules. A novice player who learn only the basic chess rules, and follows these rules carefully, may very well defeat a more advanced player. This is because the beginner has to use the same physical skill set that the advanced player has used, but without relying on advanced mental skills.
Dominoes, chess, and checkers are all classic games that we have been playing for thousands of years. Some of these games have become popular even though the rules have stayed basically the same over the years. Monopoly is one of those games that has always included the traditional elements of the game, while changing some of them to make them more appealing to modern players. Each version of monopoly includes a variety of different types of property, and the value of each type varies according to how it is played.
Almost every board game that is designed has pieces on the playing cards. The reason for this is that most players prefer to avoid using the playing cards when they are not playing a game. Most players also prefer to play without a lot of additional, extraneous cards on their decks. Some games are even designed with sets of playing cards that are numbered so that you know which cards you are holding at any given moment. Monopoly is an example of this type of game piece design.