Board Games Played in Medieval Times: Chess, Tables, Merels & More

Physical evidence is scarce – wood rots, cloth decays – but historical records, artwork, and archaeology reveal a vibrant gaming culture.

Well-Documented Games

• Chess (Shatranj) – Entered Europe via Islamic Spain ~10th century; evolved toward modern rules by 1475. Played by nobility; featured in literature (Carmina Burana, Libro de los juegos).
• Tables (Backgammon family) – Tabula, Nard, Tric-Trac variants. Roman origins; ubiquitous across classes. Gambling often involved.
• Merels (Nine Men's Morris) – Board carved into cathedral cloisters, ship decks, window sills. Three phases: placement, movement, "flying" when reduced to 3 pieces.
• Alquerque – Ancestor of Checkers/Draughts; 5×5 board, diagonal capture. Predecessor to Fierges (12×12, 12 pieces each).
• Fox & Geese (Halatafl) – Asymmetric hunt game; 1 fox vs. 13–17 geese. Variants across Europe (Icelandic Halatafl, English Fox and Hounds).

Dice & Gambling Games

• Hazard – Complex craps ancestor; mentioned in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Rules evolved into modern Craps.
• Raffle / Chucking the Bones – Three-dice games; simple, portable, heavily gambled.
• Knucklebones (Astragali) – Four sheep ankle bones; scored by landing sides. Pre-dice gambling.

Card Games (Late Medieval)

• Playing cards entered Europe ~1370s (Mamluk Egypt → Italy/Spain).
• Early games: Ronfa, Tarocchi (trump/tarot), Karnöffel (oldest identifiable European card game, 1426).
• Standard 52-card French suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades) standardized ~1480.

Race & Chase Games

• Game of the Goose (1560s) – Spiral track, dice movement, hazard spaces. First modern "board game" prototype; spawned countless variants.
• Pachisi / Chaupar – Indian cross-and-circle games; reached Europe later as Ludo/Parcheesi.

Lost Games

"Tables games" in inventories often lack rule descriptions. Ludus Anglicorum, Ludus Scaccorum – names survive, rules don't. Some may be variants of known games; others truly lost.

Key takeaway: Medieval people played many games – strategy, chance, gambling, chase – across all social strata. Chess and Tables were the prestige games; dice and merels were everyman's pastime.