Home Home
Alquerque The ancient ancestor of Draughts. Spanish mispronunciation of the Arabic 'Quirkat'.
American Four-ball Billiards An old US derivative of Billiards, the mother of many of the modern US Pool games
Ashtapada Ancient Indian race game. It's board of 64 squares was used for Shaturanga, the first known game of the Chess family
Aunt Sally A pub game in which players throw batons at a wooden skittle known as a doll
Awari Another name for Wari, a game of the Mancala family played widely across East Africa and the Caribbean
Ayo Nigerian game of the Mancala family
Baccarat Popular, high-class, high-stakes Casino card game.
Backgammon Evolved from Ancient Egyptian Senet.
Badminton An modern competitive version of Battledore and Shuttlecock
Badok Alternative spelling of Pa-tok or Paduk, the Korean name for Go
Bagatelle Pub game of the Billiards family that spawned the smaller children's Bagatelle that in turn evolved into Pinball and Pachinko
Bao East African game of the Mancala family
Balkline A game of the Carom Billiards family
Bar Billiards A pub game of the Billiards family imported from Belgium
Baseball Inferior version of Rounders.
Bat and Trap A bat and ball pub game from Kent.  A relative of Cricket.
Battledore and Shuttlecock A game in which a shuttlecock is hit backwards and forwards between to players with bats
Billiards A game in which two white and a red ball are knocked around a table and into corner pockets using cues.
Bowls A game in which heavy balls are rolled on a lawn at a smaller ball
Bunnock A version of Kubb from Russia
Burmese Chess Another name for Sittuyin, a modern form of Shatranj
Canoga Reportedly, another name for the pub dice game, Shut the Box
Cards As in Playing Cards.
Carom Billiards A generic term for games of the Billiards family played on tables without pockets.
Carrom An Asian table game where the object is to knock disks into corner holes by flicking a striker disk.
Carums An alternative spelling of Carrom, an Asian table game
Chausar Pachisi played with long dice
Checkers American name for Draughts
Chess International Chess, a modern form of Shatranj
Chinese Chess Another name for Xiang Qi, a modern form of Shatranj
Cholo Another name for Soro, a game of the Mancala family.
Circular Chess An early variant of the Chess family
Continental Draughts The internationally recognised version of Draughts. Played on a 10 x 10 board. Also called Polish Draughts.
Continuous Pool A direct descendant of Fifteen-ball pool of the US Pool family
The Courier Game An early Chess variant played on an extended 12 x 8 chequered board
Court Tennis American name for Tennis also known as Real Tennis or Royal Tennis
Cows and Leopards A Sri Lankan game of the Tafl family
Crib A shortened term for the pub card game Cribbage
Cribbage A pub card game in which the score is kept using a Cribbage board
Cricket A game of the bat and ball family originally associated with the English pub but now and international sport.
Crokinole A game of the Squails family played on an octahedral table from British Columbia
Crooky Irish ancestor of Croquet
Croquet A game in which coloured balls are knocked through hoops on a lawn using mallets
Crown Green Bowls A version of Bowls played on a square lawn which is slightly higher in the middle than at the edges
Curling A winter version of Bowls played on ice
Dames A later name for Fierges which is just Alquerque played on a Chess board
Dart and Target A precursor to the pub game of Darts
Darts A pub game in which small pointed projectiles are thrown at a round board on the wall
Deck Quoits A form of Quoits played on the deck of a passenger ship
Devil amongst the Tailors Another name for Table Skittles, an indoor version of Skittles
Dominoes Generic term for games played with tiles
Draughts English modern variant of Alquerque played on a Chess board.
Edris A Jin An elaborate game from Syria of the same 'cross and circle race game' family as Pachisi
Eight-ball Pool The version of Pool most popular in English pubs. One of the  US Pool family
Fanorona Modern Madagascan form of Alquerque
Ferses Another name for Fierges which is just Alquerque played on a Chess board. Early version of Draughts
Fierges Alquerque played on a Chess board. Early version of Draughts
Fifteen-ball Pool A derivative of American Four-ball Billiards and the ancestor of all US Pool games
Fox and Geese A game of the Tafl family
Freystafl A game of the Tafl family which some suggest is Fox and Geese
Gabata A game of the Mancala family
Gorodki A Russian game of the Kubb family.
The Game of Thirty Squares Another name for Senet, possibly the oldest ancestor of Backgammon
The Game of Twenty Squares An ancient Egyptian game which appears to be a descended from an ancient Sumerian game.
The Generals Game Another name for Shogi, a modern form of Shatranj
Go Japanese name for Wei Qi, an abstract aesthetic oriental game in which the aim is to surround territory.
Hit and Scream Another name for Badminton, a modern competitive version of Battledore and Shuttlecock
Hnefatafl An ancient Icelandic game of the Tafl family.
Horseshoe pitching A game thought to be the precursor to Quoits in which horseshoes are thrown at a stake in the ground
Igo Another name for Go, the Japanese name for Wei Qi
Indoor Quoits A form of Quoits in which smaller rings are thrown at hooks on a wall
International Chess A modern form of Shatranj
Japanese Chess Another name for Shogi, a modern form of Shatranj
Jeu De Paume Frence name for Tennis also known as Real Tennis or Royal Tennis
Jeu Force The original French name for English Draughts.
Karom An alternative spelling of Carrom, an Asian table game
Karum An alternative spelling of Carrom, an Asian table game
Kings Table Another name for Hnefatafl, an ancient Icelandic game of the Tafl family
Knur and Spell A bat and ball game commonly associated with inns and taverns
Korean Chess A modern form of Shatranj
Kubb A Scandinavian game that is a bit like a cross between skittles and tennis.
Kyykkä A Scandinavian game similar to Kubb
Lawn Bowls A game in which heavy balls are rolled on a lawn at a smaller ball
Lawn Tennis A version of Tennis played on a Lawn
Le Jeu Plaisant De Dames A more modern name for Fierges of the Alquerque family. English Draughts without the huffing rule.
Ludo A modern version of Pachisi, the national game of India - an ancient race game.
Mah Jong Chinese Tile game now played around the world.  Alternative spelling Mah Jongg.
Mak-ruk Siamese Chess, a modern form of Shatranj
Mancala Generic term for African games played with stones or seeds on a board consisting of rows of hollows.
Mangola A game of the Mancala family
Merels Another name for Nine Mens Morris
Mill Another name for Nine Mens Morris
Moksha-Patamu Ancient Indian race game which the Victorians copied to create Snakes and Ladders
Morris Another name for Nine Mens Morris
Mulabalaba A game of the Mancala family
Nine Ball A game of the US Pool family
Nine Mens Morris Ancient game where the objective is simply to get three pegs or stones in a row
Nine Pins An alternative name for the pub game Skittles
Nyout A game from Korea of the same 'cross and circle race game' family as Pachisi
One Pocket A old game of the US Pool family
Oware Ghanan game of the Mancala family
Pachisi The national game of India - an ancient race game.
Paduk Korean name for Go. Also Pa-dok or Baduk.
Parchisi Alternative spelling of Pachisi, the national game of India - an ancient race game.
Pancha Keliyaand A game from Ceylon of the same 'cross and circle race game' family as Pachisi
Paille Maille The original name of Pall Mall, a game of the Croquet family
Pall Mall A game of the Croquet family which gave it's name to the famous London Street
Parcheesi Modern American version of Pachisi, the national game of India - an ancient race game.
Pa-tok Korean name for Go. Also Paduk or Baduk.
Pichnotte The French Canadian name for Crokinole, a Canadian Table game
Plaisant An alternative shortened name for Le Jeu Plaisant De Dames, a precursor to Draughts of the Alquerque family
Playing Cards The equipment used for thousands of similar games played worldwide.
Poker A very fashionable American gambling Card game of bluff.
Polish Draughts The internationally recognised version of Draughts. Played on a 10 x 10 board. Also called Continental Draughts.
Pokies A gambling machine found in pubs and casinos. Also known as  slot machine, fruit machine, poker machine or one-armed bandit.
Pool 1. An English game for multiple players played on a Billiards table.  2. A generic term for the modern US Pool family
Puff and Dart A precursor to Darts in which darts were blown through a tube at a board on the wall
Push Penny An earlier version of Shove Ha'penny
Pyramid A game played on a Billiards table in which the objective is to pot 15 red balls using the white ball.
Quirkat The Arabic name for Alquerque
Quoits A pub game in which metal rings are thrown at a pole sticking up out of a bed of clay
Real Tennis Modern name for Tennis
Ringing the Bull A pub game a metal ring dangling from the ceiling on a rope is swung onto a metal hook on the wall.
Roulette Extremely popular gambling game wherein a ball is rolled around a dish and bets are made on which number division it will come to rest in.
Rounders A bat and ball field game played by two teams. The batting team have to hit the ball and run around 4 bases to score a point.
Royal Game of Ur The name often used to denote a game played in ancient Sumeria and more recently in ancient Egypt.
Royal Tennis Modern name for Tennis
Sadeqa A game of the Mancala family
Shatranj The mother of all the modern variants of the Chess family
Shaturanga The earliest known ancestor of the Chess family
Siamese Chess Mak-ruk, a modern form of Shatranj
Shiang Chi Alternative spelling of Xiang Qi, Chinese Chess, a modern form of Shatranj
Siang K'i Alternative spelling of Xiang Qi, Chinese Chess, a modern form of Shatranj
Sittuyin Burmese Chess, a modern form of Shatranj
Sixty-one Pool Another name for Fifteen-ball Pool, the ancestor of the US Pool family
Shogi Japanese Chess, a modern form of Shatranj
Shoffe-grote An earlier version of Shove Ha'penny
Shove Ha'penny A pub game of the Shovelboard Family
Shovel Board The ancestor of games involving the pushing of discs down tables.
Shuffleboard An American game of the Shovelboard Family
Shut the Box A pub dice game probably from Northern France or the Channel Islands.
Sjoelbak A Dutch game of the Shovelboard Family
Skittles A pub game in which wooden balls are rolled down a lane at nine pins (skittles)
Slide Thrift An earlier version of Shove Ha'penny
Snakes and Ladders Victorian game based on the ancient Indian game of Moksha-Patamu
Snooker A game of the Billiards family derived by merging the games of Pool (the English version) and Pyramid
Solitaire A game for one played on a Fox and Geese board
Soro A game of the Mancala family
Squails A game of the in which disks are shoved towards the centre of a round table
Stoolball An early bat and ball game still played in Sussex.  A pub game that is the ancestor of Cricket.
Stowball An early bat and ball game now extinct.
Straight Rail A derivative of American Four-ball billiards and the ancestor of Carom Billiards games
Straight Pool A game of US Pool family
Table Skittles An indoor version of Skittles in which a ball suspended from a pole is swung at nine pins
Table Tennis Miniaturised form of Lawn Tennis, now an Olympic Sport.
Tablut An old Norse game of the Tafl family
Tafl The earliest of a family of games in which the side with weaker pieces heavily outnumbers the other side
Tennis A game in which a ball is hit backwards and forwards over a net using bats. Now called "Royal" or "Real" Tennis in England
Ten pin bowling An American development of the pub game Skittles
Three Cushion Billiards A game of the Carom Billiards family
Three Mens Morris A simpler form of Nine Mens Morris played on a three by three board
Tic Tac Toe Modern name for Three Mens Morris, the smaller relation of Nine Mens Morris
Tigers and Goats The national game of Nepal. A member of the Tafl family.
Twenty Five An alternative name for Pachisi, the national game of India - an ancient race game.
Warcaby Polish name for Continental or Polish Draughts, the internationally recognised version of Draughts
Wari Game of the Mancala family played widely across the Caribbean and West Africa
Wei-Ch'i Alternative spelling of Wei Qi
Wei Qi An abstract aesthetic oriental game in which the aim is to surround territory. Called 'Go' in Japan
Xiang Qi Chinese Chess