Pankaj Advani

Pankaj Advani, the 24 years old Indian, won the World Billiards Champion 2009 by defeating the 41-year-old Mike Russell. He  is considered to be the best billiards players India has got after Geet Sethi. Pankaj got the honor of three world titles in billiards and snooker.

Advani studied at the Frank Anthony Public School,Bangalore. He completed his business communications from Sri Bhagawan Mahavir Jain College, Bangalore. He was spotted by Arvind Savur, former national snooker champion, when he was a 10-year-old who used to accompany his elder brother to the Karnataka State Billiards Association hall. Advani showed promise and talent from a young age, he made a notable achievements by winning three world titles at the tender age of 19.

Advani became the youngest national snooker champion at the age of seventeen and went on to achieve accolades internationally as well. He is the first player who got to complete a grand double by winning both the points as as well as the time format titles in the IBSF World Billiards championship in Malta in 2005. He has also achieved the world snooker title in 2003.

He became the first player to complete a grand double by winning both the points format as well as the time format titles in the IBSF World Billiards championship in 2005. He also won the very popular Indian sports award the – Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2005.

I am sure this young man is soon going to add more feathers, gain more accolades for himself and his country.

Goodluck Pankaj!!!

Tips for Winning Chinese Checkers

Chinese checkers is an easy board game to play because of its simple rules. 2, 3 4 or 6 players can play Chinese Checkers. The winner is the first player that manages to move his 10 marbles to the opposite star corner of the board.

Chinese Checkers

Though the rules for playing Chinese checkers are easy, it can be difficult to win this game. I would like to share with you some winning tips that can help you play your next game better:

Knowing your opponent : This the 1st step in winning the game. Try to study your opponents. If they are new, your half battle is won. If they are smart you need to be more careful in making the moves..

Keep an eye on the opponent’s moves :  Block your opponent by placing your marble in his way, if you see him setting up a row of marbles that he can hop all the way over to your side with.

Move marbles in groups :  Moving multiple marbles help you get more jumping opportunities . This can help you jump over your own marbles as well.

Use Direct Route : Always try to use the straight route through the middle of the board to get to your goal area before your opponent reaches his goal area. Try not to place your marbles into any unused parts of the board so that you don?t have to make extra moves to bring them to your goal.

Filling up your Goal Area : Move your marbles on every row surrounding your goal area.  This helps you in filling your goal area with less moves as you can continue to jump over your own pieces and makes it easier for you to win the game.

Try using these tips and you could win your next game of Chinese Checkers…..Good Luck!!!

Schedules for upcoming Card Player Cruises!!

Card Player Cruises has been rocking over last few years with lots of fun vacations at sea including great poker action. Partners Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, Bonnie Damiano, and Mark Tenner made a personal goal to ensure that every cruiser will have a great vacation. To make a successful trip, they
host welcome-aboard and farewell parties, organize exclusive excursions for their passengers, offer free lessons and seminars, conduct poker tournaments, maintain a wide variety of games and limits, provide a professional, friendly staff, and run a no-abuse cardroom. Card Player Cruises was the first cardroom to go nonsmoking (about six years ago), and still maintains that policy.

Now after a long period, in November, Card Player Cruises will return to the high seas aboard the 138,000 ton Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ Explorer of the Seas. Destinations over the next year for the cruising company include Alaska, the Mediterranean, and Mexico.

The nine-night Canada and New England Fall Foliage cruise will depart from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in New Jersey in November and steam up the eastern seaboard of the United States. Ports of call include Portland, Bar Harbor, Saint John, Halifax, and Boston and the cruise starts at $550 per person.

Besides everything, the other main attraction on the cruise will be its poker room. 100 to $200 buy-in poker tournaments will abound, with many private seminars and free poker lessons also taking place. In addition, passengers can play as much as they wish for, they can also enjoy a rock-climbing wall, ice skating rink, miniature golf course, basketball court, disco, spa, fitness center, pools, Jacuzzis, and shops.

Here is the upcoming schedule for Card Player Cruises:

Canada and New England Fall Foliage nine-night cruise – October 15, 2009
Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas
Departs from Cape Liberty Cruise Port, Bayonne, New Jersey

Mexican Riviera seven-night cruise – November 15, 2009
Royal Caribbean’s Mariner
Departs from Los Angeles, California

Western Caribbean seven-night cruise – March 7, 2010
Royal Caribbean’s Voyager
Departs from Galveston, Texas

Mediterranean Venice 12-night cruise – May 15, 2010
Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance
Departs from Barcelona, Spain

Alaska seven-night cruise – August 27, 2010
Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody
Departs from Seattle, Washington

Eastern Caribbean seven-night cruise – September 25, 2010
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis
Departs from Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Mexican Riviera seven-night cruise – December 5, 2010
Royal Caribbean’s Mariner
Departs from Los Angeles, California

Prices for the above schedule vary between $448 per person and $1,719 per person. The cost covers food, cabin, nightly entertainment, and use of the ship’s amenities. According to Johnson, the majority of players who board a Card Player Cruise are recreational and several are celebrating milestones like birthdays and anniversaries.

It seems to be one delightful vacation, so if you searching for fun-filled vacation spots, this could be your answer.

Bon Voyage!!!

Apples to Apples – A Party and Educational Fun Game

Playing Apples to Apples board game

Apples to Apples is an interesting board game for all age group people above 12 yrs. You can call it a party game as it can be enjoyed with entire family and friends or an educational board game as it can also be played within a classroom. 4-10 players are required to play the game. This game has become very popular because of its simple rules and the variations it has.

Rules to play Apples to Apples Board Game:

Each player is dealt seven “red apple” cards; with a noun printed on each card.

One player is selected as the judge of the game.

The judge will be the first dealer who draws a “green apple” card on which an adjective is printed and places it face-up on the table for everyone to see.

The judge also distributes seven cards to all players (clockwise direction) including himself.

How to play Apples to Apples

Apples to Apples

The judge draws a green topic apple card from the top of the pile.

All players should select the red apple card that is the most appropriate match to the green topic card and place it face down in the middle of the table.

All the cards are collected and shuffled by the judge. The judge then decides which card best matches the green card. The player who had placed the winning red card is the winner of the round and collects the green card signifying the win.

All players then draw red cards until they have seven again, and the next round begins with a new judge. Generally, it is the next player in line playing the role of new judge.

The final winner is the player who succeeds in collecting pre-designated number of green apple cards.

This game has various variants too.. I have read some of them at wikipedia.. and found

them pretty interesting.. So I thought I’ll share it with my readers…

Variations of Apples to Apples (courtesy: wikipedia) –

Apple Potpourri: Each player selects a red apple card from his or her hand before the judge turns over the green apple card. After the red apple cards are played, the judge turns over a green apple card. As usual, the judge then selects the winning red apple card.

Apple Traders: To stir things up, on each turn, each player selects one red apple card from his or her hand to pass on to the player on his or her left. Players pass the cards after drawing their seventh card but before the judge selects a green apple card.

Apple Turnovers: The roles of red and green cards are reversed, with players using adjectives to describe the given noun. This can be stymied by the relatively low number of green cards in the box (a third as many as reds).

Apples Eye View: The Judge must pick a red apple card based upon the point of view of somebody, or something else (a house cat, Rush Limbaugh, Bill Clinton, a speck of dust, etc). The player to the left of the Judge determines which point of view the Judge must use for that round.

Baked Apples: After each player plays one card, the judge lays them face up and, instead of announcing the winner, identifies the non-winning cards first, each time explaining why it was not selected. The role of judge passes on to the winner of each round.

Big Apples: Two or more players boasting that the judge will pick their card can agree to each wager one of their green apple cards. If the judge selects one of their red apple cards, that player wins the green apple card and all of the wagered green apple cards. If the judge does not pick one of their red apple cards, the wagered cards are forfeited to the bottom of the card stack.

Crab Apples: The red apple cards are judged on how unlike they are to the green apple card. The card least like the green apple card wins.

2 for 1 Apples: The judge turns over two green apple cards to start the round. Each player selects the red apple card from his or her hand that is best described by both green apple cards. After the judge selects a red apple card, both of the green apple cards are awarded to the winner.

Well, isn’t Apples to Apples a fun as well as educational game to play??

It can be a good form of entertainment at your next party.

Online Puzzle Games

Online Puzzle Games

We all know that our life itself is a kind of puzzle, accepting challenges, solving problems. its a day to day struggle. I think thats the reason why we humans are so fond of Puzzle games.

Nowadays, puzzle games have increased by leaps and bounds and so has their variants. They are easily the highest searched type of online games. Well, what is it that has everyone so hooked to playing puzzle games online??

From the name Puzzle itself, its understood that its a form of game which test our grey cells to the maximum . Many a times, you have to find alternative ways to tackle the game. It is said to be one of the best forms of stress-busters, as it mentally challenges you and you forget all your tensions and worries.. atleast I do.. I get so tuned into playing the puzzle that I tend to forget all my other woes.

Some interesting puzzle games available online are The Hidden Prophesies of Nostradamus, Totem Tribe, The Hidden World of Art, Fabulous Finds, Mushroom age etc. Jigsaw puzzles and inlays are said to be most suitable for children as they hold the child’s attention for the most amount of time.

Do go through this site to play the latest online Puzzle games, they will surely keep all your boredom at bay – http://www.onlinegames.net

Playing Carrom Board Game

Hey, its Sunday today and I decided to clean my store room; that also preserves my precious board games.  And there beneath all the games was my Carrom Board.  One of my favorite games.  However, with the busy schedule and variety of games available today, I had completely forgotten it.  Many like me would have done the same.  That’s the reason I thought of writing something about Carrom and refresh the memories.

Playing Carrom

Carrom is a classic game played all over the world especially in Asia and Far East.  This game has been given various names: Indian Finger Billiards, Carom, Carroms, Carrum, Karum, Carum and table billiards.

For Playing Carrom you need a Carrom board, the size could be of your choice ( Mini carrom boards are also available for children),   Carrom men – a  set of nineteen light discs – nine white, nine black and one red (referred to as the Queen) and a Striker.

Carrom is usually played in teams with 2-4 players.  The opponent sits in the opposite direction.  3 players can play carrom game against each other for points. The game is played on a square, wooden board with four corner pockets. The goal is to collect points by sinking your nine pieces, and the “queen” in red,  in the pockets before your opponent. The game begins by flicking the striker at the target pieces.

Here are simple rules and tips of Carrom:

1.  Arrange the carrom discs with the red “queen” in the middle and the whites should be lined up to form a “Y” around the “queen” and blacks to replace the empty spaces around the “queen” and the whites.

Setting Carrom Discs

2.  Each player is allowed to only strike from that side where he sits.

3.  The contestant holding white plays first or a toss of a coin can also decide who plays first.

4.  Your continue to play as long as you keep sinking your pieces – luck shots count and all combinations are permitted.

5.  The red queen can be pocketed at any time after sinking your first piece but must be sunk before your last one. After winning the queen, you need to sink one of your pieces, thereby ‘covering’ it, into any pocket in the next shot, or she is returned to the center spot.

6.  Once the queen is covered, whoever clears their pieces first wins the carrom board game.

Tips:

Strikers

To be sure that you are playing accurately and the striker is really on line, try to touch the striker with your fingernail.

The striker may not touch the pieces in diagonal arrow line. (This rule only applicable in India)

If you sink the striker, you will be penalized a turn and another green piece will be added to the board.

If in a single shot you sink more than 1 green piece, you will be rewarded with an extra turn.

Do not sink any red pieces.  If you sink a red piece, you will lose a turn, even if you sank a green piece in the same shot.

For the web lovers online carrom game is also available on the net. A free version of carrom called Couronne has been developed by MiniClip. The board is the same as a carrom board, but the pieces are green and the striker is yellow. The objective is to sink all of the green pieces to move up in the levels.

If you are also a carrom lover and have some additional information and tips to share please mail me I would be glad to add.

All You Ever Wanted To Know About Settlers of Catan:

All You Ever Wanted To Know About Settlers of Catan:
(all about Klaus Teuber as well as history, rules, tips about Settlers of Catan)

Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game which has been designed
by Klaus Teuber. It entered the markets in 1995 in Germany by
Franckh-Kosmos Verlag (Kosmos) under the name Die Siedler von Catan.
Today, settlers of catan hits in top 10 board games on the net.
Its not only famous in Germany but also achieved a lot of popularity outside
Europe and has been named as ‘killer app’ of designer board games.

By 1991, Klaus Teuberwas was well on his way becoming one of the
planet’s hottest board game designers. He has won the Spiel des Jahres
(German prestigious award for board and card games) award four times,
for Settlers of Catan, Barbarossa, Drunter und Drüber and Adel Verpflichtet.
In the year 1999 teuberwas left his profession  as a dental technician
to become a full-time game designer.

Settlers of Catan is ranked as one of the most top strategy games of
all time.

Settlers board game being the Island is composed of hexagonal tiles of
different land types which are laid out randomly at the beginning of
each game. In this game, players represent themselves as settlers as
they establish colonies on the island of catan. Once players get settled, they start building settlements, cities and roads. They build these by spending resources (clay, lumber, wool, grain, and ore) represented by resource cards. Each land type produces a specific resource.

Each players will roll 2 dices determining which hexes produce resources. Any players with settlements or cities adjacent to hexes marked with the number rolled receive resource cards of the appropriate type. An unique robber is on the board, if a players rolls 7, they can move the robber to any hex, which will no longer produce resources until the robber is moved again, the robber can even steal a resource card from another player. The main object of this game is to gain valuable resources and build settlements.

A successful strategy is required to win at each and every board and
card games. Do go through the following tips to master this game: –

1) In settlers, every one should try to build the settlements so as to
increase the overall resources. Generally, it is better because it
take away all the opportunity from your opponents to generate those
resources.

2) Secondly, you should understand the value of bricks in this game.
There are only 3 bricks and 3 ore tiles and 4 of other type. Ore is
necessary for cities while brick necessary for roads and settlements,
these 2 are considered as a base to win. Since there are less brick
tiles, it is the most worthy resource.Do remember
this while trading.

3) While trading in settlers game, you should always remember 2 important
things, you should trade “intelligently” and “aggressively”. You should evaluate the board and find which resources are less and which one is in abundant according to that you should treat the rare resources as more valuable in order to get a greater deal for them.

Trading well is a skill you will learn over time, but remember to be “intelligent” and “aggressive” and only then will your progress be much quicker.

Do glance through this section again as I am working on advance strategies
for Settlers and will be posting them soon…

Winning in Monopoly

There are excessive board games available today, however, Monopoly has remained an all time favorite across the globe.

Monopoly

The only drawback of this extremely successful game is that though many people love it they don’t play it regularly as it takes a lot of time to complete it.  Even after starting the game and getting involved, the only thought that comes to our mind is When will this game end?? Still, we have the urge to play as Monopoly is real fun.

Monopoly involves: Money, backstabbing, wheeling & dealing and some luck. Monopoly is for all money lovers and there are a very few people who say that they are not fond of money. You need to be good at making money and if you are known for making wrong descions in business than you are sure to lose this game.

For those good at making money here are some rules and strategies that can help you win the Monoploy game and finish it quickly.

Play according to the Official Rules: The fastest way to end the game is to play the game according to the rules. Don’t purchase Free Parking. Don’t allow people free visits when they land on your property. If you do not want the game to drag… Don’t play nice!!! as you forget the cardinal reason for playing the game.

Keep in Mind your end Goal : You main goal in Monopoly is to make everyone go bankrupt except you. You have to own everything so that everyone has nothing and that’s the end of the game. You win!!! Keep this always in your mind while playing. If you be nice you lose. That’s the reason I told you Don’t be nice. After all its just a game and not reality….

Properties : Properties in the orange and violet groups, as well as the railroads can be valuable as these receive the most traffic and take less money to develop. On the first round around the board buy EVERY piece of property you land on. Owning as much property as possible is the main key to winning the game.

Prefer Houses to Hotels : Always monopolize the houses also and not just properties. According to the Monopoly rules every game has 32 houses and 12 hotels. You need 4 houses to begin with because to build a hotel you need build 4 houses first. By purchasing houses you can also create a house shortage for your opponents, making it difficult for them to build houses or hotels.

One useful Tip : Always keep some money in reserve. Don’t forget, you’ll have to pay rents and other fees.

Remember these simple rules and you can make huge amounts of money in this popular game called Monopoly.

Othello Game Rules and World Othello Championship:

Othello Game Rules and World Othello Championship:

Othello Game

Othello also known as Reversi, is a classic strategy game.  It is played by two players on a 8 x 8 board.   The pieces that a player plays with are disks with a light and a dark face. Each side belongs to one player. The objective of this game is to finish the game with the greater amount of pieces (circles) of the same color.

Rules :

Each of the two sides of the disk corresponds to one player; they are referred to here as light and dark after the sides of Othello pieces, but “heads” and “tails” would identify them equally as well, so long as each marker has sufficiently distinctive sides.

The game starts with four markers placed in a square in the centre of the grid, two facing light-up, two pieces with the dark side up. The dark player goes first.

Dark Disks must be placed is such a way that there forms at least one straight (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) occupied line between the new piece and another dark piece, with one or more contiguous light pieces between them.”

After placing the piece, dark player turns over (flips, captures) all light pieces lying on a straight line between the new piece and any anchoring dark pieces. All reversed pieces now show the dark side, and dark player can use them in later moves — unless light player has reversed them back in the meantime.

Players take alternate turns. If one player cannot make a suitable move, the other player gets the turn to play  The game comes to an end when neither player can make a move. This occurs when the board has filled up, or when one player has no more pieces on the board, or when neither player can legally place a piece in any of the remaining squares. The player with the maximum pieces on the board at the end of the game wins.

World Othello Championship (courtesy: wikipedia) –

Year	Location	World Champion	Country	Team	Runner-Up	Country
1977	Tokyo	Hiroshi Inoue	Japan	N/A	Thomas Heiberg	Norway
1977*	Monte Carlo	Sylvain Perez	France	N/A	Michel Rengot (Blanchard)	France
1978	New York	Hidenori Maruoka	Japan	N/A	Carol Jacobs	USA
1979	Rome	Hiroshi Inoue	Japan	N/A	Jonathan Cerf	USA
1980	London	Jonathan Cerf	USA	N/A	Takuya Mimura	Japan
1981	Brussels	Hidenori Maruoka	Japan	N/A	Brian Rose	USA
1982	Stockholm	Kunihiko Tanida	Japan	N/A	David Shaman	USA
1983	Paris	Ken’Ichi Ishii	Japan	N/A	Imre Leader	Britain
1984	Melbourne	Paul Ralle	France	N/A	Ryoichi Taniguchi	Japan
1985	Athens	Masaki Takizawa	Japan	N/A	Paolo Ghirardato	Italy
1986	Tokyo	Hideshi Tamenori	Japan	N/A	Paul Ralle	France
1987	Milan	Ken’Ichi Ishii	Japan	USA	Paul Ralle	France
1988	Paris	Hideshi Tamenori	Japan	Britain	Graham Brightwell	Britain
1989	Warsaw	Hideshi Tamenori	Japan	Britain	Graham Brightwell	Britain
1990	Stockholm	Hideshi Tamenori	Japan	France	Didier Piau	France
1991	New York	Shigeru Kaneda	Japan	USA	Paul Ralle	France
1992	Barcelona	Marc Tastet	France	Britain	David Shaman	Britain
1993	London	David Shaman	USA	USA	Emmanuel Caspard	France
1994	Paris	Masaki Takizawa	Japan	France	Karsten Feldborg	Denmark
1995	Melbourne	Hideshi Tamenori	Japan	USA	David Shaman	USA
1996	Tokyo	Takeshi Murakami	Japan	Britain	Stéphane Nicolet	France
1997	Athens	Makoto Suekuni	Japan	Britain	Graham Brightwell	Britain
1998	Barcelona	Takeshi Murakami	Japan	France	Emmanuel Caspard	France
1999	Milan	David Shaman	Netherlands	Japan	Tetsuya Nakajima	Japan
2000	Copenhagen	Takeshi Murakami	Japan	USA	Brian Rose	USA
2001	New York	Brian Rose	USA	USA	Raphael Schreiber	USA
2002	Amsterdam	David Shaman	Netherlands	USA	Ben Seeley	USA
2003	Stockholm	Ben Seeley	USA	Japan	Makoto Suekuni	Japan
2004	London	Ben Seeley	USA	USA	Makoto Suekuni	Japan
2005	Reykjavík	Hideshi Tamenori	Japan	Japan	Kwangwook Lee	South Korea
2006	Mito	Hideshi Tamenori	Japan	Japan	Makoto Suekuni	Singapore
2007	Athens	Kenta Tominaga	Japan	Japan	Stéphane Nicolet	France
2008	Oslo	Michele Borassi	Italy	Japan	Tamaki Miyaoka	Japan

*This rivalling Monte Carlo world championship is usually not considered to be an official world championship. In official homepages it is called the first Europe Championship.

Othello computer games are also very exciting. Even if you do not have company to play with; the online version would surely give you the same or even more competition than that of a human being. So go on try out, if you are looking out for some competitive and thrilling experience of playing online. I’m sure you would enjoy online Othello without a shred of regret…

Mochy Crowned Backgammon World Champion 2009

Mochy Crowned Backgammon World Champion 2009

Backgammon is a board game of two players, its seen that, it has attracted an immense number of players. I truely believe that though luck plays a important role to win this game, strategy too is a major ingredient for a win .

My belief of luck and strategy is supported by Masayuki Mochizuk game, he is a well known Japanese Backgammon player who won World Backgammon Championship 2009. 173 players took part in the tournament and every one paid ?1,000, entry fee for the 2009 World Backgammon Champion!

Mochy Mochizuki was titled as world’s best backgammon Champions after defeating Lars Trabolt, world’s Backgammon champion 2008, at the finals held at Monte Carlo World
Championship, sponsored by online gambling site CasinoRip.com.

Mochy is the first Japanese champion in the history of the world backgammon championships, and probably one of the youngest players (born in 1979) to achieve this impressive title.

Viswanathan Anand :

Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand an Indian Chess champion and the
current world champion, was born on 11th December 1969 in Chennai,
Tamil Nadu to Krishnamurthy Viswanatha and  Susheela. His father
Krishnamurthy, who is an retired General Manager, Southern Railways,
and mother Susheela, housewife is an chess/film/club aficionado and an
influential socialite. He has 2 siblings- a brother and a sister.

He gives all his credit for his chess play to his mother, who motivated him
so much that he started playing uner the age of 6. He described his start in
chess in a conversation with Susan Polgar who is a Hungarian-born American
chess player.

Anand did his schooling in Don Bosco, Egmore, Chennai and holds a
degree in commerce from Loyola College, Chennai. When he is not playing
chess he enjoys pursuing his other hobbies of reading, swimming & listening to music.

His Great achievements:

Anand won the FIDE World Chess Championship in 2000 for the first time after defeating Alexei Shirov in the final match held at Tehran.

In September 2007, he once again succeeded in becoming the World Champion by winning that year’s FIDE World Championship Tournament held in Mexico City.

In 2008, Anand was successful in defending his Championship title against
Kramnik in the World Chess Championship held in October in Bonn, Germany.

After such fine play resulting in consecutive successes, he became the first person to win the world championship in three different formats: Knockout, Tournament, and Match.

Anand is one of the four players in history to break the 2800 mark on the FIDE rating list. He was at the top of the world rankings five out of six times, from April 2007 to July 2008. His reign since July 1996 in the top three spot ended in October 2008 as he got dropped out of the world top three ranking.

In 2007 he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award. He is also the first reciver of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991?92. India’s highest sporting honour.

Mancala Games

Playing Mancala

Ever heard about Mancala games. I’m sure the lovers of traditional board games would be aware of Mancala. Mancala also called “sowing” games, or “count-and-capture” games is no one game but a type, or designation, of game. It is a family/class of board games. The word mancala comes from the Arabic word Naqala meaning literally “to move.” Mancala games are the oldest form of board games still famous in many parts of the world especially in many African and some Asian societies.

The game begins with the players placing an equal number of seeds, as per the variation in use, in each of the pits on the game board. A turn consists of removing all seeds from a pit, placing one in each of the following pits in sequence, and capturing based on the shape of board. This is the general game play sequence that applies to all games, although the details of each game may differ greatly. The object of mancala games is usually to capture more stones than the opponent.

According to wiki the most widely played games are probably:

Bao is a complex strategy game of Kenya and Zanzibar, played on an 8×4 board and is a “multi-lap” game with several sowings on each turn. This game is played in Zambia, Ethiopia and Kenya. It is very popular in Malawi, where it is often called Bawo.

Kalah is the ruleset usually included with commercially available boards; however, the game is heavily biased towards the first player, and it is often considered a children’s game. The board is 2×6 with stores, with one sowing only per move. Computerised versions are also available on the Net.

Oware, the national game of Ghana, is also known by Warri, Ayo, Awele, Awari, Ouril, and other names. It has relatively simple rules but considerable strategic depth. The board is 2×6 with stores, with only one sowing per turn. It is a “single-lap” game.

Omweso

Omweso (also known as coro) is a strategic game of Uganda, played on an 8×4 board. It is a “multi-lap” game with the possibility of several sowings on each move. The board has rectangular holes , does not fold, and has a handle for hanging up when not in use.

Pallanguzhi is played in Southern India with 2 x 7 stores. Two varieties of this game are popular, Kaashi and Bank.

There are more than 200 different names of mancala games. Many modern versions of mancala have been introduced in last few decades Few are Glass Bead Game , Mini Mancala ,Oh-Wah-Ree. Lets see if these new variants can be as famous as the oldest board games; Bao and Oware are till today.

If you are interested in any one type of traditional board game.. do let me know as I am doing an indepth research on the same, I may be able to help you…

Ever heard about Mancala games

The game begins with the players placing an equal number of seeds, as per the variation in use, in each of the pits on the game board. A turn consists of removing all seeds from a pit, placing one in each of the following pits in sequence, and capturing based on the shape of board. This is the general game play sequence that applies to all games, although the details of each game may differ greatly. The object of mancala games is usually to capture more stones than the opponent.

According to wiki; the most widely played games are probably:

Bao is a complex strategy game of Kenya and Zanzibar, played on an 8×4 board and is a “multi-lap” game with several sowings on each turn. This game is played in Zambia, Ethiopia and Kenya. It is very popular in Malawi, where it is often called Bawo.

Kalah is the ruleset usually included with commercially available boards; however, the game is heavily biased towards the first player, and it is often considered a children’s game. The board is 2×6 with stores, with one sowing only per move. Computerised versions are also available on the Net.

Oware, the national game of Ghana, is also known by Warri, Ayo, Awele, Awari, Ouril, and other names. It has relatively simple rules but considerable strategic depth. The board is 2×6 with stores, with only one sowing per turn. It is a “single-lap” game.

Omweso (also known as coro) is a strategic game of Uganda, played on an 8×4 board. It is a “multi-lap” game with the possibility of several sowings on each move. The board has rectangular holes , does not fold, and has a handle for hanging up when not in use.

Pallanguzhi is played in Southern India with 2 x 7 stores. Two varieties of this game are popular, Kaashi and Bank.

There are more than 200 different names of mancala games. Many modern versions of mancala have been introduced in last few decades Few are Glass Bead Game , Mini Mancala ,Oh-Wah-Ree. Lets see if these new variants can be as famous as the oldest board games; Bao and Oware are till today.

Grabbler a New Word Game :

Grabbler a New Word Game :

Word games are the most interesting and engaging form of board games. Its also serves a very useful and progressive educational purpose as it helps one and all to improve their spelling and language skills. Solving crossword
puzzles, which requires familiarity with larger vocabulary, is a pastime that mature adults have long credited for keeping their minds sharp.

Most word games require skills like alertness, a well-developed vocabulary, and excellent general language skills, including comprehension, spelling and patience. People who play these games witness a lot of improvement
in their daily work.

You can find many different word games or word puzzles; the main goal is to form words out of given letters. Some good word games are easily available in the market and on the net like grabbler, jumble,
lettercube, scrabble etc.

According to me the most interesting word game amongst all is “Grabbler”. Grabbler is a multi-player board game that rivals scrabble, its almost the antithesis of scrabble. There are various word games out on the internet where for a single player not multi-players and that’s what I find most advantageous in grabbler.

Grabbler challenges users to build their vocabulary. The game play requires the players to create interlocking words using alphabets placed on cubes while the strategy involves grabbing as many cubes of your opponents as possible.

Grabbler is a game, where players are given a 12×12 grid of letters with four cubes arranged in the center of the game board and the player must create a word that forms from one of them. Players can also select the cube and rotate to change the letter displayed. The game continues untill each players passes one after the other till they cannot form any new words from the grid. Like with the initial four cubes, and like Scrabble, players can try interconnect and use their opponent’s letters for more points. As you can probably guess, the one with the most points at the end of the game wins.

If you are not aware and have not played yet, do try out this  interesting game at least once with your friends and please do mail me your views.

Board Games for all age groups :

Planning to spend some quality time with your family, but confused as
to how you can involve the entire family, the parents as well as
children. Well, one option that can be considered is Board Games.
Nowadays, different kinds of Board Games are available that can be
enjoyed by all age groups.

A board game  is a game which includes counters or playing pieces that
are placed on, removed from, or moved across a game board in
accordance with the play of the game.

There are many different types of board games for all age levels
ranging from simple Checkers game to a more complicated game like
Cluedo.  Board games created especially for small children are Clue
Junior or Monopoly Junior., Sponge Bob Monopoly, Candy Land, Trouble
and Sorry.

Few Games that suit both the adults and children are :

Scrabble : All age group people can enjoy this game.  Scrabble
involves word choices and spelling and a good memory skill. It is
almost like a crossword puzzle game.  Elderly people can benefit a lot
playing this mentally-stimulating game.

Monopoly: Monopoly is a timeless classic game.  This game can be
enjoyed by 7 year young children as well as 90 year elderly people
mainly because it is a game about strategy, chance, luck and
ultimately about greed.  The only drawback about Monopoly is that a
single game can take hours to complete.

Especially for toddlers –

Don’t Break the Ice : This is a game for ages 3-6.  It involves two or
more players.  The object of this game is to slowly break out pieces
of “ice” without causing the polar bear to fall through the ice.

Candyland :  Though the game is for 3-6 age group children, adults too
enjoy this game.  It involves 2 to 4 players with the main object of
being the first person to get their colorful gingerbread man around
the board and reach the Candy Castle first.

Chutes and Ladders : This board game is for three to ten years old and
require two to four players. The object of this board game is to be
the first person to the top of the board without getting slide back
down to the bottom by a chute. Here, you go up the ladders and slide
back down the chutes!

I am in the process of finding more board games that suit teenagers whims
and fancies.. Do mail me some options..

8-Ball Billiards Game

Billiards Game :

Nowadays, its seen that kids and adults are extremly addicted to online games. I, myself love to pass each free moment I have playing 8 Ball Billiards Game.

I must have read all possible strategies, tips and tricks that are available online to master this game. The variations of this game are many.. to name a few – 9- ball, cutthroat, Euro 8 ball, 3 balls, trick shots etc.

Following are the FOULS I came accross while exploring online.

*The shooter fails to strike one of his/her own object balls (or the 8 ball, if all of said object balls are already pocketed) with the cue ball, before other balls (if any) are contacted by the cue ball. This includes “split” shots, where the cue ball strikes one of the shooter’s and one of the opponent’s object ball simultaneously.
* No ball comes into contact with a cushion or is pocketed, after legal cue ball contact with the (first) object ball (or 8 ball, if shooting for the 8).
* The cue ball is pocketed (“scratched”)
* The shooter does not have at least one foot on the floor (this requirement may be waived if the shooter is disabled in a relevant way, or the venue has not provided a mechanical bridge)
* The cue ball is shot before all balls have come to a complete stop from the previous shot
* The cue ball is struck more than once during a shot
* The cue ball is jumped entirely or partially over an obstructing ball with an illegal jump shot that scoops under the cue ball
* The cue ball is clearly pushed (shoved slowly, rather than struck), with the cue tip remaining in contact with it more than momentarily
* The shooter touches the cue ball with something other than the tip of the cue
* The shooter touches any ball (with body, clothing or equipment), other than as necessary to move the cue ball when the player has ball-in-hand
* The shooter knocks a ball off the table
* The shooter has shot out-of-turn
* On the break shot, no balls are pocketed and fewer than four balls reach the cushions (in which case the incoming player can demand a re-rack and take the break or force the original breaker to re-break, or may take ball-in-hand behind the head string and shoot the balls as they lie)

Sudoku A Logic Based Puzzle Game

Sudoku – A Logic Based Puzzle Game

If you are fond of addictive puzzle games that require skill and logic, then Sudoku is the game best suited for you.

Sudoku is a logic based puzzle game involving number placement in combinations. It is a game wherein you have to fill a 9×9 grid in such a way that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 boxes/blocks contain the digits from 1 to 9 only one time each. The grid already has a few numbers filled in, the rest of the grid has to be completed by the puzzle solver.

The modern puzzle was invented in 1979 by Howard Garns; an American architect and a freelance puzzle constructor from Indiana. It was first published by Dell Magazines under the name “Numbers in Place and was popularized in 1986 by the Japanese puzzle company Nikoli, under the name Sudoku, meaning single number. His creation became an international hit in 2005.

There are many variants to this game. You can also find puzzles offering 4×4 grids with 2×2 regions or blocks; a 6×6 grid with 2×3 regions has been featured in World Puzzle Championship. Larger grids offering a 12×12-grid with 12 regions of 4×3 squares are also available.

According to Wikipedia the Sudoku Competitions featured till date are:

• The first World Sudoku Championship was held in Lucca, Italy, from March 10-12, 2006. The winner was Jana Tylová of the Czech Republic. The competition included numerous variants.

• The second World Sudoku Championship was held in Prague from March 28 to April 1, 2007. The individual champion was Thomas Snyder of the USA. The team champion was Japan.

• Hosted by renowned puzzle master Will Shortz, The Philadelphia Inquirer Sudoku National Championship was the first U.S. Sudoku Championship. Thomas Snyder was the winner of the expert division, receiving $10,000 and a spot on the U.S. National Sudoku Team at the 2008 World Sudoku Championship in India.

• The third World Sudoku Championship was held in Goa, India, from April 14-16, 2008. Thomas Snyder repeated as the individual overall champion, and also won the first ever Classic Trophy (a subset of the competition counting only classic Sudoku). The Czech Republic won the team competition.

• United Kingdom newspapers have run several national Sudoku competitions, the most prominent is run by The Times. Nina Pell won the first contest, in 2005, followed by Rachel Rothm, in 2006, and Tom Collyer, in 2007. Nina regained her title on September 13, 2008, at the Institute of Education, part of the University of London. In finishing order, the eight grand finalists were: Nina Pell, Howard Granville, Maxwell Rock, George Danker, David Collison, Pippa Wassall, Jason Shannon and Ross Pope.

• The 4th World Sudoku Championship was held in Žilina, Slovakia, from April 24-27, 2009. After past champion Thomas Snyder of USA won the general qualification, Jan Mrozowski of Poland emerged from a 36-competitor playoff to become the new World Sudoku Champion. Host nation Slovakia emerged as the top team in a separate competition of three-membered squads.

Shuffling of cards :

Most often, players face a lot of problem in randomizing the cards, and this can create a huge problem when they are playing at a table with out a professional dealer. This mostly happen when they play home games or as a self dealt game where-in each player gets a turn to shuffle and deal. Players who cant shuffle face problems as shuffling is one of the key criteria for any kind of card game.

The main objective of shuffling is to change the order of cards in the deck.

As time passes, people have started shuffling in various ways such as The Overhand Shuffle, Table Riffle Shuffle, In-air Riffle Shuffle, Faro Shuffle, Hindu Shuffle, Weave Shuffle etc. The way one shuffles differs, it is interestingly, country dependent. Overhand shuffle is most widely used in European countries and riffle shuffle in USA. In Europe, people find it difficult to Riffle shuffle, they feel its too fancy and prefer to carry on with Overhand shuffling.

Everyone can’t shuffle properly without practice or experience. You can learn it only by observing and then practicing until your hands get used to the motion.

You can view some online videos to master this art.

Get the Dice Rolling

At a reasonable price, what you experience is good quality, game attraction and lots of fun. Nothing great designed with 3D effects but certainly something that can value your time. Along with Nice dice games that are attracting and addictive you also have the option to download and even purchase these PC games for a good price.

From a developed version of the classic game Yahtzee is the origin of Nice Dice game. It allows you tally the results in a single-column Yahtzee game or four-column Yamb game. What you enjoy here is the audio of the game, you can’t miss the graphics though a few and a pleasing compact interface sets you right to play the game. Besides Nice Dice another PC game offered at this site is Deep Blocks. A recreation of the all-time classic game of Tetris. You don’t have anything much to learn from this game but you do get a chance to experiment with geometric shapes which makes the game very addictive. Your quest is to handle the pressure through all 21 levels and doing this task will fully immerse you in the game experience.

Both these PC games need system requirements such as Windows 95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP, 60 Mhz CPU and 16 MB of RAM because they are available for download and also online purchase. The goal of this site is to cater to people of all ages, incite their minds by relieving stress and providing good quick fun. The best way to try out your hands here is by hopping in and playing some games. So if you want to experience ultimate fun at a low investment it all begins at nicedicegames.com.

At a reasonable price, what you experience is good quality, game attraction and lots of fun. Nothing great designed with 3D effects but certainly something that can value your time. Along with Nice dice games that are attracting and addictive you also have the option to download and even purchase these PC games for a good price.

From a developed version of the classic game Yahtzee is the origin of Nice Dice game. It allows you tally the results in a single-column Yahtzee game or four-column Yamb game. What you enjoy here is the audio of the game, you can’t miss the graphics though a few and a pleasing compact interface sets you right to play the game. Besides Nice Dice another PC game offered at this site is <a href=”http://www.nicedicegames.com/” target=”_blank”>Deep Blocks</a>. A recreation of the all-time classic game of Tetris. You don’t have anything much to learn from this game but you do get a chance to experiment with geometric shapes which makes the game very addictive. Your quest is to handle the pressure through all 21 levels and doing this task will fully immerse you in the game experience.

Both these PC games need system requirements such as Windows 95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP, 60 Mhz CPU and 16 MB of RAM because they are available for download and also online purchase. The goal of this site is to cater to people of all ages, incite their minds by relieving stress and providing good quick fun. The best way to try out your hands here is by hopping in and playing some games. So if you want to experience ultimate fun at a low investment it all begins at <a href=”http://www.nicedicegames.com/” target=”_blank”>nicedicegames.com</a>.

Kalooki Basic strategy

Rummy is one of the most popular card games in the world. It has many variations,  one of them is Kalooki. It’s a pretty exciting card game played by 2 to 4 players. It’s very popular and mostly played in UK. If you want to learn to play Kalooki, you should be aware of some basic strategies. Your Chances of winning can be doubled by following these simple rules and strategies.

Kalooki is played with a 2 deck of playing cards with 2 jokers in it i.e 106 cards in total. Each player is dealt 13 of these cards and take it in turns to get rid of them. The winner is the first one to do so.

The ability to draw right cards from the stock is the most important while playing this game. While discarding the cards, one should notice that your opponent shouldn’t get any benefit or it should not be utilizable.

Most important, you should always keep your eyes open and focus when your opponent discards and picks the cards, this can tell you a lot about the hand of your opponent.

If you meld a joker, make use of it. Make sure your opponents won’t replace it with another significant card.

Normally a player won’t be able to Go Kalooki if his/her opponents have already laid down their melds.

I am busy mastering Gin Rummy Read this space for the latest tips and strategies..

Online Car Racing Games

Online Car Racing

Online Car Racing Games:

For many who dream to participate in a car race or want to become a car racer but cannot do it in real can fulfill their dreams by playing online. Car racing games played online are very realistic giving the experience of winning a real car race. Car racing games can be customized with different body parts.

Playing video games offers good entertainment and are a good form of relaxation. Nowadays, with the improvement in technology these games can be played with best visuals and sound details. New games with new challenges are continuously developed by the game creators.

FuelTank and Need for Speed are the common car racing games that are played by all age groups. Time runs out quickly in a Fuel Game. You have to be very fast. You need to keep the radiator spring working using the collected gas. Need for speed is a dangerous form of racing and hence most thrilling and exciting. It requires lot of practice to take down the enemy.

Car racing or car driving games are not easy to play. These games require lot of concentration and practice but the excitement one experiences is as realistic as participating in a real car race.

So if you always wanted to participate in a car race but didnt have the time, money, energy or will.. you can always get going by playing online to experience the thrill…

Kavita Shah a Bejeweled 2 World Champion :

One of my favorite online game is Bejeweled, I keep my self updated to all that is happening in that game.I have a penchant for reading about all the gurus of this game. There have been many experts in this gaming field and one of the great champ is “Kavita Shah”.

Playing online games is not a hard task as Kavita has proved this by winning the latest tournament which was held on 15th may 2009. She has been a source of inspiration to many women, encouraging them to gain expertise in playing online games.

Kavita Shah, thinks that lady luck is always on her side when she plays online Bejeweled. She won not through her ability to oversee thousands of troops and equipment in a real-time strategy game, or for her skills with rocket-launchers and railguns in first-person shooter games. Rather, Kavitha topped thousands of other players in the games Solitaire and PopCap Games’ Zuma and Bejeweled 2 “casual games.”

Kavita says, “because it was the only game that I knew I would do better in than anyone else at the tournament. Having one of the three competition games ‘in the bag’ was a huge confidence booster.” She is the person who invented the popular casual games on the web. In the beginning, she used to play Bejeweled 2 game just for the fun but later on it became a part of her relaxation, beyond that it provided many other benefits. Even after winning the $1 million prize, she still play for 2 to 3 hours per day. she plays it wherever she can, at her home, at the airport while waiting for her flight, in the bus….

Kavitha plays for sizable cash purses almost daily, and estimates she’s won more than $150,000 in 2008 alone.

Kavitha now studies law at the University of Michigan.She has paid her fees from her winnings. Her winnings have helped her to pay for school, a house, and recently a trip to Greece.

When she was not buried under law school textbooks, she used to enjoys movies, philosophical debates, college football, kayaking, photography, racquetball, traveling and spending time with her husband.

Interesting personality.. isn’t she???

Free Online Games

Today you have  the  advantage  of  playing free games  on  the  Internet.   Free PC Games are a great form of entertainment enjoyed by all age group people, young and old. These games give you a break from your daily routine and offers good entertainment to break the monotony of life. They are a great way to unwind, relax and entertain yourself.

Few of my favorite games are –

1) Flash Arcade Games

Flash arcade games today are more innovative and exciting then the conventional arcade games. Although video games and pinball machines started off being the most popular arcade games, today with Flash there are several innovative and exciting games like Alien, Lunar Command and Black Knight among others.

2) Puzzles

A puzzle is a brain teaser where you try and reach a newer and higher level each time, not only trying to beat your opponent but your own score as well. Creating balance and harmony, aligning symmetry and putting rows, columns, blocks and balls in order is what puzzle games aim to do. Climbing a new level by beating your last, linking squares, connecting pipes and creating symmetry from chaos is what Puzzle games are all about. Tube Crisis, Paint Ball, Rings and Sticks are some of the puzzles that will stimulate your grey cells and bring you lots of fun and excitement as well.

3) Action Games

Action games are games that typically focus on speed, physical prowess of the characters involved, quick reflexes, good hand-eye coordination skill. Mortal Kombat, Quake and Tomb Raider are some examples of action games.

I am busy updating my list of favourite board games, do check this blog for more updates…

Do’s and don’ts in chess

Hey, I got some interesting articles and I would like to share with you all. After going through these rules, my confidence level has soared. Hope, it can be useful for those who find it difficult to understand the rules and strategy for playing chess. You will get more ideas on how to play and beat your opponents at chess. These are the rules of thumb to be applied throughout the entire game. Do take a good look at the following do’s and don’ts they are a real help when you need to strategise.

After every move by your opponent, ask yourself these questions :

1. Can I capture any of my opponent’s pieces to gain material?
2. What does my opponent want to do?
a) Am I in check?
b) Does my opponent want to capture any of my pieces?
c) Is my opponent threatening a tactical maneuver (i.e., fork, pin, etc.)?

• Simplify the position by trading pieces when you are ahead in material.
• Avoid doubling your pawns (placing two pawns on the same file).
• Always keep your pawns connected.
• Occupy open file(s) with your rook(s).
• Do not trade a bishop for a knight unless the position is closed (with many pawns and no open lines), or unless you gain some kind of advantage from the exchange.
• Avoid staying in pins.
• Keep your pieces on protected squares as much as possible.

Following are some points which has to be stored in mind in the begining.

• Control the CENTER (start out by putting at least one center pawn in the center).
• Develop your pieces so that they can attack the center as much as possible.
• Put your king in safety quickly by CASTLING.
• Don’t move the same piece twice (unless necessary; i.e., moving away from an attack or recapturing, etc.).
• Don’t move your queen out early (usually only after both knights and bishops are developed and the king is safe).
• Connect your rooks by moving out all pieces between them.

Below are some of things to look for after you have developed all your pieces in the middle of the game.

• Look for targets or weaknesses in your opponent’s position.
• Make plans based on the targets and your opponent’s position.
• When you have an attack going on the opponent’s king, avoid trading queens.
• Keep your king safe, usually behind two or three pawns and near the corner.
• Gain a space advantage.

These are the points which has to be monitored in the end of the game.

• Try to bring your king toward the center and in play. In the endgame, contrary to the earlier parts of the game, the king should be an active participant, at times even in the attack.
• Try to create passed pawns.
• If you have a passed pawn, advance it. Try to promote your passed pawn to a Queen.
• If your opponent has a passed pawn, make sure you can stop it before it reaches the promotion square (or at least make a counter plan).

Forms of Poker Games

Texas Holdem : Texas Hold’em first played in Las Vegas is the most popular form of poker today. It is one of the most popular Poker Variants and all time favorite of casino players.  The advent of online poker further added to the popularity of Texas Hold’em.

In this game each player has seven cards. It is similar to seven card stud, the main difference being that all the players get just two face-down cards and five face-up community cards.

The most popular texas holdem games are Limit and No Limit Hold ?em
games. If you are a beginner it is good to start playing Limit Texas Hold’em first. It is a very easy game to learn; just a few hours of practice and you can be playing fairly well.

No-limit Holdem is more popular that limit holdem. In No-Limit Hold’em you play your opponents than just playing the cards. A good hand in no limit game can make a large enough bet to discourage players from chasing a draw hand.

Seven Card Stud Poker: Seven Card Stud is a form of stud poker with three
variations – low, high and high-low. In seven-card low, the player with the lowest hand wins while in seven-card high the player with the highest-ranking wins. In the high-low game of seven card stud; players with both the highest hand and the lowest hand compete to win the pot, claiming half each. It is a very easy game to learn; just a few hours of practice and you can be playing fairly well.

Omaha: If you are familiar with Texas Holdem you can easily learn Omaha.
In texas holdem you deal with two cards whereas in omaha you get four. However, you have to use two cards though you have more hand combination. Omaha has 2 versions – Omaha High only and Omaha High-Low Eight or Better. The Hi-Lo seems to be the most popular than Omaha high only as it allows you to split the pot with the lowest
qualifying low hand.

I feel the above forms of poker are suitable for beginners.

I would keep adding more from time to time. However, I would recommend you to start playing at freerolls first and when familiar fully with the game start playing for real money.

Two player card games

Two player card games

I always had this penchant for card games.. so, I thought why don’t I write down some basics regarding them…

Two player card games are very easy to learn. There are two types of two player card games – “Classic two player games” and “Specialty deck card games”.

Classic two player games are played with a normal deck of cards.These types of games include Go Fish, Piquet, Cribbage, Speed, Crazy Eights and Bezique. In specialty deck card games, special deck cards are used. The games such as Uno and Phase Ten fall into category of specialty deck card games.

Bezique is played with 4 sets of 32 cards. The Rubicon Bezique is a most popular form of Bezique. In this game, each player gets nine cards and the remaining cards become the stock. Different combinations of cards have different points. Pinochle is also a card game, which is derived from Bezique.

Cribbage is played with a deck of 52 cards. Each player gets six cards. A player has to achieve up to 31 cards. The Cribbage Board is used to keep the scores. Each player scores points for each series. Piquet is a popular card game, which is played with a deck of 32 cards. You can score points if you have cards that are in a sequence, in highest order or in a suit

Go Fish is especially popular among children. It’s a simple game where in one player asks his opponent for cards of a particular class. The opponent has to produce all the cards of that particular class, if he doesn’t have them he‘ll say Go Fish…

Another game is UNO; it’s easy to learn but offers players plenty of twists and surprises. It is one of the most popular card games in the world and is played with a specially printed deck of cards. Each player receives seven cards. The player has to play a card that matches the special symbol of the exposed card. Draw, Wild, Reverse and Skip are the special effects in Uno and are used to improve your chances of winning.

Just don’t forget to say ‘UNO!’ when you’re down to your last card.

Phase 10 is based on a variant Rummy. It requires a special deck and can be played by two to six people. To be the first player to complete all 10 Phases is the object of the game. There are 108 cards in a deck which include 96 numbered cards, 2 Wild cards in each of the same colors and 4 blue Skip cards.

Nowadays in the world of Internet there are scores of online two player games available.

Such online game is played against an online opponent or the computer. These games have an good user interface, personalized graphics, excellent sound and scoring sound and scoring selections.

Two of the most popular online two player games are Ecarte and Euchre.