A board game is any game played on a board (that is, a premarked surface) with counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across the board. Simple board games are often seen as ideal "family entertainment" as they can provide entertainment for all ages. Some board games, such as Chess, Go (Weiqi), Xiangqi (Chinese Chess), or Oware, have intense strategic value and have become lasting classics.

There are many different types and classifications of board games. Some games are simplified simulations of real life. These are popular for they can intermingle make-believe and role playing along with the game. Popular games of this type include Monopoly, which is a rough simulation of the real estate market; Cluedo/Clue, which is based upon a murder mystery; and Risk, which is one of the best known of thousands of games attempting to simulate warfare and geo-politics.

Other games only loosely, or do not at all, attempt to imitate reality. These include abstract strategy games like chess and checkers, word games, such as Scrabble, and trivia games, such as Trivial Pursuit. Also, DVD games were introduced into the marketplace in 2002 with the launch of the first edition of Scene It? (now distributed in the mass market channel by Mattel), and have spawned their own game category.

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Chess Samizdat

Article 57. For The Serious Student, by B. Bell
Tue, 07 Mar 2006 14:40:11 -0000
With computer databases and the amount of information available to students these days you would think that people who study chess to improve would be improving in leaps and bounds. Sadly this is not the case, but I hope to provide some information that may help...
Article 56. Chess pedagogical training and further education at the FIDE Trainer Course in Berlin, by IM Jovan Petronic
Fri, 10 Feb 2006 09:27:54 -0000
Offered by Headmaster of the FIDE Trainer Academy - GM Uwe Boensch. From 4 until 10 November 2005, at the international training course, chess pedagogues from various countries got together for the third time to refresh their knowledge and to get new insights in the sport of chess. 13 chess trainers from three continents and ten countries met to listen to lectures and receive practical training on the big historical grounds close to the modern Olympic Stadium of Berlin for six days...
Article 55. Exclusive Interview: Bessel Kok, by Goran Urosevic
Tue, 31 Jan 2006 08:41:07 -0000
In the middle of November, Mr. Bessel Kok and Mr. Ali Nihat Yazici announced their candidacy for the posts of President and Deputy President of FIDE (The World Chess Federation) at the forthcoming elections in Turin in May 2006...
Article 54. Exclusive Interview: GM Peter Svidler, by Goran Urosevic
Tue, 31 Jan 2006 08:40:36 -0000
Q: Greetings Mr.Svidler. Year 2005 was very successful for you. You have tied 2nd place at the World Chess Championship and got the highest rating ever of 2765. Can you tell us something about your preparations?
Article 53. 4th open (rapid) Kavala (Greece) 10-11.9.2005, by IM Jovan Petronic
Thu, 05 Jan 2006 05:01:38 -0000
On September 10-11, 2005, the traditional 4th open rapid (20'+10") tournament "Kavala 2005" was held in Kavala, Greece. The winner, Ilias Kazantzidis, scored a 100% result...
Article 52. Chess Rules You Can Bend, by B. Bell
Wed, 04 Jan 2006 16:11:24 -0000
I will use the Caro-Kann as my example because it is my response to e4. I was going over a game I had just played when a friend of mine (Nick, rating about 2300) came by and started reviewing my game...

Board Games with Scott

BGWS 064 – Castle Panic
scott@scottnicholson.com (Scott Nicholson) Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:50:56 -0000
In Castle Panic, players work together to defend a castle in the cooperative tower defense game. (12:19) Castle Panic is a light cooperative game with a video game feel. Players work together against an onslaught of intruders to keep the castle towers from falling. While players have to work together, only one can win [...]
BGWS 063 – Long Shot
scott@scottnicholson.com (Scott Nicholson) Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:25:23 -0000
Long Shot is a horse racing game where players can own pretty ponies and make money off of betting on them (10:00) Long Shot is a horse-racing game. Players start with some money but no horses and choose between spending money on buying horses and betting with money on which horses will win. It’s [...]
BGWS 062 – Word on the Street
scott@scottnicholson.com (Scott Nicholson) Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:11:24 -0000
Word on the Street is a social team-based word game where players attempt to capture letters by coming up with words. (7:45) Out of the Box is the company that originally created Apples to Apples. They have a new party game that’s got two teams coming up with words in categories to capture letters that [...]

Board Game News

Hoyle Puzzle and Board Games 2010
Randy Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:10:40 -0000
The 2010 edition of Hoyle Puzzle and Board Games is now out and available for purchase. This comprehensive collection includes well-designed versions of many classic games, for both Windows and MacOSX, all at a great price.
Agricola
Randy Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:00:57 -0000
Agricola is an interesting new game in which players find themselves playing the role of a farming family in the 17th century (”Agricola” is the Latin word for “farmer”). Starting out in a simple two-roomed hut, these families work to improve their quality of life through home improvements, breeding their animals, and improving their fields. During [...]
Days of Wonder Board Games
Randy Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:59:50 -0000
Days of Wonder, a board game publisher founded in 2002, has sold over 1.5 million copies of its games to date, many of which have won multiple board game industry awards. The name of the company evokes the “sense of wonder” we all experienced as children when we first fell in love with playing games, [...]

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Board Games with Scott 012 - Antike: is a weekly show where Scott Nicholson takes a board game, describe it, and lightly reviews it. This week's show is Antike, which is a relatively short (under 2 hours) empire building game about growing your empire, building troops, developing technologies, and then crushing your enemies!x