Leisure

Pentago, a connect-five game with a literal twist, has charmed and challenged players young and old. But where do boredom and skateboarders fit in?

By Laurie L. Dove

Set in the years before World War I, Diplomacy allows players to represent countries with armies they can move in an effort to control Europe. The rules are complex, but strategy often comes down to a simple question: Will you make allies or enemies?

By Chris Warren

Like chess but sneakier, Stratego is a gambit of wits and strategy. So how do you play -- and what does 19th century France have to do with it?

By Laurie L. Dove

It's a printing press block, an electronic font and a less-than-flattering nickname -- so how did Dingbats come to be a series of word games, too?

By Laurie L. Dove

This conspiracy-minded, convoluted game will tap into your appetite for world domination and your penchant for paranoia. Strap on your tinfoil hat and come play a round with us.

By Kate Kershner

Are you a snake, a rat, maybe a tiger? The Chinese zodiac calendar has been around for thousands of years, and it can tell you more about yourself than you might realize!

By Ellen Stockstill & Yara Simón

Sequence is half board game, half card game -- half strategy, half luck. So what rules, history and restraining orders make the game work as a whole?

By Laurie L. Dove

How did clever marketing turn Battleship -- a WWI pen-and-paper pastime -- into the moneymaking empire, complete with movie tie-in, that it is today?

By Laurie L. Dove

Whether you're a Creative Cat or a Word Worm, this brainy board game claims to offer something for everyone. Is it true? Work that brain and find out.

By Kate Kershner

It certainly takes a lot of concentration to juggle -- but can you actually improve your brain activity by tossing a few pins in the air?

By Jeff Harder

Scrabble aficionados may memorize long lists of unusual words to win. But casual players can improve their games by learning just a handful of useful entries. Which words should you keep in your Scrabble arsenal?

By John Kelly

To gaming aficionados, Carcassonne isn't just an uber-fortified French town; it's an addictive medieval strategy game populated by adorable little figures. What's a meeple?

By Kate Kershner

Your opponent scratches her nose: an obvious tell. You call her bluff -- by checking the dictionary. How can you bluff successfully in Scrabble?

By Laurie L. Dove

If you've ever faced a Scrabble rack like EEEEEJQ, you know that luck sometimes fails you. So which strategies can help you win no matter what?

By Laurie L. Dove

Parcheesi has been inciting strategy and competition in aristocrats and children alike for two millennia. How is such a simple game so compelling?

By Allison Wachtel

House Monopoly rules make us feel like Goldilocks: Some make the game too hard -- others, too soft. Which can be ditched to make the game just right?

By Laurie L. Dove

Do you remember the last time you played a game? You probably improved your memory while you played -- without even realizing it.

By Jacob Clifton

Games involving math force you to use your brain's full power, and some have been challenging people for centuries. The five on this list on this list will test your numerical agility and teach math ideas and functions as you play.

By John Kelly

Games like chess and checkers have been around for centuries for a reason: They're very easy to learn but difficult to master. What other games make the cut for this list?

By Patrick J. Kiger

It may be the only board game loosely inspired by sumo wrestling. How do you tackle Abalone?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Apples to Apples is a relatively simple party game that can yield hilarious results. Players just match nouns to adjectives, but when the game is played deftly, hilarity ensues.

By Dave Roos

Axis & Allies is a popular board game that allows players to fight World War II on a variety of fronts. Would you like to defend Pearl Harbor or help invade Normandy? Here's your chance!

By Ed Grabianowski

Are you sharper than the contrasting triangles you'll spy on a backgammon board? You'll have to be if you want to master this strategic game.

By William Harris

Chinese checkers is a fun and easy-to-learn board game that has little to do with traditional checkers and even less to do with China. How do you win?

By Clint Pumphrey

The same simple rules and equipment that make Go easy to get into also make it difficult to master. Learn what's kept Go popular for some 3,000 years and how the game works.

By Laurie L. Dove