Chess, Checkers & Backgammon

We’ve combined three of the oldest, most adored 2-player board games on the tapestry of human history – and it’s no surprise that they are all iconic strategy games! There’s simply nothing the world loves more than a good old-fashioned battle of wits. Do you agree? What’s in the Box? Chess: The beloved game of chess is believed to have originated in Eastern India, circa 280–550 BC, in the Gupta Empire. Rightfully so, this makes the game one of the oldest board games for two players in human history! Each player begins the game with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. Each of the six types of pieces moves in a different pattern. Players take turns moving, and pieces are used to attack and capture the opponent’s pieces. The ending objective is to ‘checkmate’ the opponent’s king by trapping the piece in an inescapable situation where any possible move would lead to capture.  Checkers: Checkers is a classic 2-player strategy game where each opponent chooses a color for their half of the pieces on the checkerboard. The objective of the game is to capture all of your opponent’s pieces, or block your opponent from moving by luring them into a trap. Players capture pieces by jumping over their opponents pieces into an empty space, and multiple pieces may be eliminated if you can set up the correct path of attack. Each new move requires careful consideration of both offense and defense – sure to keep your brain buzzing! Backgammon: In this game, the playing pieces are moved according to a roll of the dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board before their opponent. Although luck may be a determining factor of the outcome, there is much more brimming beneath the surface. Like all the best strategy games, patience and planning all contribute the final outcome as well. With each roll of the dice, players must choose from numerous options for moving their pieces and anticipate possible counter-moves by the opponent, playing offense and defense simultaneously.  The wooden board for the set of 3 games folds into half to hold all pieces inside for safekeeping – perfect for easy travel!