Cross and circle game

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Cross and Circle family of board games played throughout from Asia, Europe and the Americas and are played on boards which usually feature a circle and two perpendicular diameters, along which some markers are moved. The most familiar game in this group is Ludo, where the circle has been collapsed onto the cross. The oldest version however is Pachisi, which has been played in India since the first millennium BC.

While Ludo is a modern invention, the games in this group have ancient roots. The board may be seen as a mandala symbol showing Heaven and Earth, or the self and the four directions signifying the Universe. The Korean yut game may have been used for divination.