The Universal Appeal of Table Games

Being a successful table game player involves a little bit of luck and a lot of strategy. Bere: of a table board, at least two players, and the rolling of dice, table games have challenged us in a playful way for 5,000 years now.

- NICKY PESSAROFF

As long as there has been civilization, humanity has used the act of play to hone our skills in battle through sport or hone our strategic abilities through mental combat of some variety.

I am terrible at table games. The only time I’ve ever won a game of chess was in fourth grade in a clear example of beginner’s luck. was fine at checkers, but far preferred a game created myself, Flukes, in which one lines one’s checkers single-file along the farthest line and then flicks a checker toward the opponent’s side—the goal being to remove the opponent’s checkers from the board first. Flukes was also the highlight of my popularity as it pertained to recess.

As for backgammon, I’ve only watched people play it—specifically, my childhood rabbi, a brilliant man with a masterful knowledge of the game’s strategies. enjoyed watching him wipe the floor with his son-in-law after Passover seders, but the various permutations and strategies were too much for my mind—especially after so much matzoh ball soup and brisket.