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Classic wooden chess set with carved pieces set up for play
José Raúl Capablanca: The Cuban Who Made Chess Look Easy
José Raúl Capablanca won the world chess title without losing a game and went eight years unbeaten — a look at the Cuban player whose genius was making the hardest... Read more...
Hand-carved wooden backgammon board with an arched top edge, open and ready to play
How Chess and Backgammon Teach You to Decide Under Uncertainty
Backgammon's dice and chess's hidden plans both force the same skill: deciding well without knowing everything. Here's what that habit teaches, on the board and off it. Read more...
Hand-carved walnut backgammon set with a tall ship under sail, standing half open
When Backgammon Took Over America: The 1970s Boom
How Tim Holland, Paul Magriel, and the Playboy Mansion turned backgammon into America's must-play game in the 1970s — and why a handsome board still matters. Read more...
Round wooden chess board with Armenia's name carved along the rim
Why Every Armenian Child Learns Chess in School
In 2011, Armenia became the first country to make chess a mandatory school subject. Here's the story behind that decision — and what it still says about the game. Read more...
Hand-carved walnut backgammon set with an acanthus scroll pattern on the cover
The Prince Who Turned Backgammon Into a World Championship
How a Russian émigré prince turned backgammon from a living-room game into a real World Championship — and the New Yorker who became its first titleholder. Read more...
Hand-crafted wooden chess set with a classic light and dark board
Chess in the Middle Ages: How the Game Reached Europe
A look at how chess traveled from India through Persia to medieval Europe, and how a 15th-century rule change in Spain gave the game its modern queen. Read more...
Hand-carved wooden chess table set up with pieces ready for a game
Karpov vs. Kasparov 1984: The Chess Match That Never Ended
In 1984, Karpov and Kasparov played 48 games over five months — and the match was stopped with no winner named. Here's the strangest story in World Championship history. Read more...
A hand-carved wooden chess set with pieces arranged mid-game, viewed from above
Garry Kasparov vs. Deep Blue: The Match That Changed Chess
In May 1997, Garry Kasparov lost a six-game match to IBM's Deep Blue — the first time a reigning world champion fell to a machine. Here's what actually happened, game... Read more...
A hand-carved walnut backgammon board open to show its two carved covers
Choosing the Right Wood for Your Chess or Backgammon Board
Walnut is dark and heavy, beech is pale and quiet — here is what actually separates the two woods behind our chess and backgammon boards, and how to choose between... Read more...
Hand-carved wooden backgammon board with a pomegranate tree design, set out for an evening game
Why Autumn Evenings Were Made for Chess and Backgammon
As the evenings draw in, chess and backgammon come back to the table — a warm look at why these old wooden games belong to the dark half of the... Read more...
Close-up of a hand-carved wooden chess board with alternating beech and walnut squares
Caring for a Handmade Wooden Chess or Backgammon Board
Oil, sunlight, humidity, and the small habits that keep a handmade wooden chess or backgammon board looking better with every year instead of worse. Read more...
Hand-carved wooden chess set with pieces arranged on the board, ready to play
Chess, Backgammon, and Keeping a Sharp Mind With Age
Why a slow game across a wooden board is one of the best things you can do for an aging mind — and for the people you share it with. Read more...