Early Board Games With Counters and Squares: Senet, Ur, Pachisi

Several ancient games fit the description of counters moving across a gridded track. The most famous examples include:

• Senet (Egypt, c. 3500 BCE) – 30-square board; race game with spiritual significance.
• Royal Game of Ur (Mesopotamia, c. 2600 BCE) – 20-square board; race game using tetrahedral dice.
• Pachisi (India, medieval origins) – 64-square cross-shaped board; ancestor of Ludo and Parcheesi.

While it's impossible to crown a single "earliest" game due to gaps in the archaeological record, these three represent the earliest well-documented board games featuring counters moving across a gridded track.