Checkers has been popular for many years, and you would be hard-pressed to find a kid who needed help understanding the rules, but where did it actually come from?

Historians believe that the game may have originated around 3000 BCE. Archaeologists have found game pieces in the ancient city of Ur in what is now Iraq.

It is much older than chess, which has only been dated back 1500 years to ancient India.

Those who have studied the history of checkers have also found a game called Alquerque. It was played in ancient Egypt as far back as 1,400 BCE. Alquerque remained very popular throughout the Western world for thousands of years.

Today’s style of checkers developed around the start of the 12th century. The French came up with the idea of playing checkers on a chessboard. At that time, the game was called “Fierges” or “Ferses.” It was eventually exported to England and the Americas with a new board design and rules set.

Today, most English-speaking countries use a 64-space checkerboard. This is known as the short kingboard version. However, much of Europe and Asia use a checkerboard with 100 spaces. This is called the extended king version.

Checkers remain a popular game around the world today. For many children, it’s the first game they learn to play. Teachers have long known that the simple game of checkers can provide significant training in thought and logic. Of course, it is also fun but not nearly as addictive as puzzles!

This traditional adult wooden jigsaw puzzle can be done time and again and is the perfect gift for wooden jigsaw puzzlers. Our wooden jigsaw puzzle artists have included many themed, whimsy wooden jigsaw puzzle pieces that match the subject of the artwork. We have integrated them in ways that will delight and surprise you as you put the wooden jigsaw puzzle together.