History of Checkers:  The Origin

Most of us as children assumed that when we played checkers it was a new fangled game, but this simply is not true!  The history of checker goes back much further than us, our parents, or even our grandparents!  In fact, archeological digs have proven that checkers has been played since around the time of 1400 BC.  The game is thought to have been derived from games known as Alquerque or Quirkat.  These boards and pieces have been found dating back to 600 BC, showing that the idea behind the game has been around as long as we have recorded history.

Playing the Game of Checkers

The history of checkers, as we know it today, is thought to date back to the 12th century CE, originating around France.  It’s believed that the game originated when someone thought to combine the pieces of an Alquerque game with an 8x8 grid that could be found on any chessboard.  The game was first known as Fierges, then Ferses, and then it was known as Dames.  Dames quickly became popular in France as well as other regions, with new variants coming out that expanded the grid to a 10x10 grid.    The game has been played by people from all regions of the world, making the history of checkers long and colorful.

Checkers Today

While the history of checkers began a long time ago, there is no doubt that it is still a popular game today.  Today, the game is simply known as Checkers in North America, but in other areas it is called Draughts or English Variant Draughts.  People young and old enjoy playing checkers; in fact, there are competitions each year that allow people from all over the world to play one another to see who is better!  The history of checkers has taken the game from Egypt to France and even North America and back again.  This game has many variations, but one thing that has remained the same is that it is simply a lot of fun!

Today, many people believe that Chinese checkers is another variant of the classic checkers game, but the history of checkers proves that it is not a variant and has nothing to do with the classic game.  The name checkers was simply put on the game to attract the attention of those that already knew and loved checkers, though it is completely different, and not even from China!