World Traditional Board Games: Chess, Go, Mahjong and More

Tap a game to see its origin and characteristics.

Chess

Origin: India (~6th century) → Persia → Europe. The world's most widely known strategy board game, where two players use 16 pieces each and win by checkmating the opponent's king.

Go

Origin: China (~2,500 years ago). A game where players alternate placing black and white stones to claim more territory — its rules are simple, but it's famous for having far more possible positions than chess.

Xiangqi (Chinese Chess)

Origin: China. Similar to chess in that capturing the opposing general wins the game, but pieces move on the intersections of lines, and the board features a distinctive "river" dividing the two sides.

Shogi (Japanese Chess)

Origin: Japan. Like chess, capturing the opponent's king wins the game, but shogi has the unique rule of letting a player reuse captured enemy pieces as their own.

Janggi (Korean Chess)

Origin: Korea. Descended from China's xiangqi but developed with distinctly different piece strength and starting arrangement, Korean janggi is represented as a battle between the Cho and Han sides.

Mahjong

Origin: China (19th century). A four-player game using tiles to complete specific winning combinations, widely enjoyed as a social game throughout East Asia.

Backgammon

Origin: Middle East (dating back roughly 5,000 years). A game where players roll dice and race to bear all their pieces off the board first — considered one of the oldest board games with surviving records.

Mancala

Origin: Africa. A game of moving stones or seeds among pits according to set rules to collect more than one's opponent — hundreds of regional variants exist across Africa.

Checkers/Draughts

Origin: Ancient Middle East → Europe. A game with simple rules where pieces move diagonally and capture by jumping over an opponent's piece — one of the most popular board games worldwide after chess.

Why Do Traditional Board Games Remain So Beloved?

Board games created hundreds or even thousands of years ago remain beloved today because of the deep strategy hidden within their simple rules. No matter how much eras and technology change, the essential fun of a mind battle between two people never fades.

Try Playing Online Too

If you're curious about playing Gomoku or Reversi against a computer opponent, dedicated online versions of these games are available elsewhere on this site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is harder — go or chess?

The rules themselves are simpler in go, but go has vastly more possible positions than chess, making it considered more complex in terms of computational depth.

Are competitive tournaments still held for these games today?

Yes — chess and go both have active world rankings and international tournaments, and mahjong also has official competitions held mainly across Asia.