around the world in 80 plays
GREECE
Words by Chad Wilkinson
LEFT TO RIGHT The amusing compontents of Alice in Wordland, and Drum Roll
Moving on from last month’s quick stop in Finland, we travel south across the Baltic Sea and the bulk of central Europe to arrive in Greece. This grand, mountainous country is often considered as being the cradle of western civilization, home to democracy, philosophy, and the Olympic Games. But what of board games?
Whilst games demonstrating physical prowess certainly became the enduring Greek pastimes, board games undoubtably held a place in ancient Hellas. Famed philosopher Aristotle once wrote that “a citizen without a state may be compared to an isolated piece in a game of Petteia” – referencing the popular, grid-based, chesslike game. Perhaps more influential though is Greece’s answer to Backgammon. Dating back to around 3000 BC, the checkers and dice game Tavli has stood the test of time, essentially becoming the country’s national game. Possessing an interesting structure, Tavli is a game of three parts played sequentially in matches of three, five, or seven points. It can still be seen in Greek-run cafes worldwide.