Chess & Abstract Strategy
A quiet study
of the classic games.
The Grand Board is an informational companion to chess and the world's great abstract strategy games — how they play, how to think in them, and the long history behind the pieces.
- 6
- Games profiled
- 2,500+
- Years of play
- 4
- Timeless principles
- 2
- Players, one board
The Games
Six boards worth a lifetime.
Chess
Rooted in 6th-century India, as chaturanga
Goal. Checkmate the opposing king
Go
Ancient China, played for over 2,500 years
Goal. Surround and control the most territory
Checkers (Draughts)
Descended from ancient games; the modern form settled in Europe
Goal. Capture or trap all of the opponent's pieces
Mancala
One of the oldest game families, born in Africa
Goal. Gather the most seeds into your store
Shogi
Japan's great chess variant
Goal. Checkmate the opposing king
Xiangqi (Chinese Chess)
China, a cousin of chess with ancient roots
Goal. Checkmate the opposing general
Strategy
Four ideas that
cross every board.
The same handful of principles guide play in chess, Go, checkers, and beyond. Learn them once, and every game opens up.
- Fight for the Centre In almost every board game worth its salt, the middle is the high ground. A piece in the centre reaches more of the board than one stranded at the edge.
- Develop Before You Attack A single hero rarely wins. Bring your whole force into play before you strike, and the attack will have weight behind it.
- See a Move Ahead Strategy begins the moment you ask what your opponent will do next. You needn't see ten moves deep — one honest move ahead already changes everything.
- Trade with Purpose Exchanging pieces is never neutral. Every trade changes the shape of the game — make sure it changes it in your favour.
A Short History
From scratched boards
to studied craft.
Games Older Than Writing
Long before recorded rules, people were moving stones and seeds across scratched boards. Sowing games in Africa and line-and-stone games across Asia are among the oldest pastimes humankind has kept.
6th centuryThe Seed of Chess
In India, a four-part game called chaturanga set out infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots on a board. Carried west and east along trade routes, it would slowly become chess, shogi, and xiangqi.
7th – 15th centuryAcross the Trade Routes
As merchants and travellers moved, so did the games. Each culture reshaped the rules to its own taste, and regional cousins — each with its own board, pieces, and rhythm — took root from Persia to Japan to Spain.
Sit down. Study the board. Make your move.
Begin with the principles, choose a game to learn, and read the history that carried these boards across the world.