board games

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'Tiger Woods of Scrabble' Wins in a Language He Can't Speak

New Zealand's Nigel Richards wins Spanish title in 'incredible humiliation'

(Newser) - A New Zealand man known as the "Tiger Woods of Scrabble" has won yet another title, in a language he can't even speak. CNN reports that 57-year-old Nigel Richards scooped up the top prize last month in the board game's Spanish world championship, beating out about 150...

Magnus Carlsen Is Trying to Make Chess Cool

Norwegian champion launches his Take Take Take app to explain matches in a more accessible way

(Newser) - Few chess players enjoy Magnus Carlsen's celebrity status. A grand master at 13, refusing to play an American dogged by allegations of cheating, and venturing into the world of online chess gaming all made Norway's Carlsen a household name. Plus, only legends like Russia's Garry Kasparov and...

Board Game 'Celebrates the Violence' of Jan. 6

TrueAnon's 'Storm the Capitol' game, at $64.99, pits 'patriots' against police

(Newser) - On the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol, Americans can do it all over again—on a game board. "Storm the Capitol—TrueAnon Edition," a board game in which players relive the riot, will be released Saturday, per Newsweek . Created by the...

For Older Set, a 'Generations' Version of Favorite Games

Toymakers tweak classics like Scrabble, Life, Trivial Pursuit to appeal to people 65-plus

(Newser) - Toymakers are tweaking original classic games or coming out with new ones that embrace an audience that's been around for a while: people more than 65 years old. The products are being marketed as a way for older folks to sharpen their brain skills, as well as allay loneliness...

Creator of Catan Board Game Dies at 70
Creator of Catan
Board Game Dies at 70
OBITUARY
Apr 4, 2023 7:35 PM CDT

Creator of Catan Board Game Dies at 70

Klaus Teuber's game became a smash hit

(Newser) - Klaus Teuber, creator of the hugely popular Catan board game in which players compete to build settlements on a fictional island, has died after a brief illness, according to a family statement. He was 70. The board game, originally called The Settlers of Catan when introduced in 1995 and based...

Coming in October: Wordle in Board Game Form

Introducing Wordle: The Party Game

(Newser) - If you've ever found yourself wishing there was a way to play Wordle in physical, rather than digital, form, get excited. The New York Times, which now owns the uber-popular online word game, is partnering with Hasbro on "Wordle: The Party Game," coming out Oct. 1. A...

Looks Like Scrabble's Next Move Is Against Slurs

Offensive words may soon be disqualified from game play, per Hasbro and players association

(Newser) - Scrabble competitors may soon have more than 200 words taken out of game play, after recent protests and attention to the Black Lives Matter movement renewed a longtime debate about the n-word and other racial and ethnic slurs, profane terms, and scatalogical references. Mashable reports that the North American Scrabble...

Mattel's Successor to Uno Has a Pretty Obvious Name

Introducing Dos

(Newser) - What's next for Uno? Dos, of course. Mattel is launching the new card game Dos next month in hopes of giving its nearly 50-year-old Uno brand a second life, per the AP . Dos has similar rules as Uno, except players make two piles of cards and can throw down...

Monopoly's New Request: Cheat If You Can

Hasbro's new edition has special cards with instructions to break the rules

(Newser) - We've all met a sticky-fingered Monopoly player who loves to be the banker. Indeed, a survey suggests that lots of Monopoly players attempt to cheat while playing the classic Hasbro board game, notes Insider . Now, Monopoly has made a version of the game just for them. Monopoly: Cheater's...

Scrabble Champ Banned for the Way He Picked Letters

Allan Simmons says he never purposely cheated—but he may have been loose with game play

(Newser) - A scandal that some are calling "Tile-Gate" is rocking the Scrabble world, with one of its best players now barred from competitions. Per the London Times , Allan Simmons is now prohibited from facing off against other wordsmiths due to two specific Scrabble rules—both involving the selection of letter...

In Monopoly's Origins: a Warning About Landlords
In Monopoly's Origins:
a Warning About Landlords
LONGFORM
May 28, 2017 3:05 PM CDT

In Monopoly's Origins: a Warning About Landlords

Board game was meant to show the dangers of dog-eat-dog capitalism

(Newser) - You might think of Monopoly as a board game version of Capitalism 101, but its origins are rooted in anti-landlord sentiment, worries about wealth inequality, and an obscure economist. In the late 1800s, Henry George argued in favor of a tax on "land value" that would prevent landowners from...

3 Classic Monopoly Tokens Get the Boot

T. Rex, a rubber ducky, and a penguin are in

(Newser) - The boot has been booted, the wheelbarrow has been wheeled out, and the thimble got the thumbs down in the latest version of the board game Monopoly. In their place will be a Tyrannosaurus rex, a penguin, and a rubber ducky. More than 4.3 million voters from 146 countries...

Monopoly's Thimble Gets the Boot
Iconic Monopoly Piece
Gets the Boot
Feb 16, 2017 10:45 AM CST

Iconic Monopoly Piece Gets the Boot

So long, trusty thimble

(Newser) - You can still pass "Go" and collect $200 on the Monopoly board, but you soon won't be able to do it with the thimble game piece. Voters have rejected the thimble, an integral part of the game since 1935, reports the AP . The move is part of a...

Monopoly's Classic Tokens Might All Be Replaced

Hasbro collecting votes on tokens for new game

(Newser) - Your lucky Monopoly thimble is at risk of being replaced by a hashtag. Monopoly maker Hasbro is asking fans of the classic board game to help choose eight tokens for a new Token Madness version of the 82-year-old game to be released this fall, with options like a hashtag and...

NH Couple's Game of Monopoly Ends in Arrest

Alyssa Ferraro slapped her boyfriend: cops

(Newser) - Let the "get out of jail free" jokes commence. A 21-year-old woman in Hooksett, NH, was arrested Sunday on domestic violence charges related to simple assault—all reportedly over a game of Monopoly. She told police she started fighting with her boyfriend while they were playing the board game...

'Operation' Inventor Needs Money for Actual Operation

Friends launch crowdfunding page for John Spinello

(Newser) - The man who asked the world to remove funny bones with tweezers at the risk of a small zap is getting a little payback from fans of his beloved game. John Spinello created the board game Operation in the early 1960s but now finds himself in need of surgery and...

Inside the Big-Money World of College Chess

One coach recently asked for $1M for program

(Newser) - Football and basketball aren't the only college competitions playing with serious cash. Chess may not have the national spotlight athletics does, but these days, the money behind it is nothing to sniff at. In 2011, a four-time women's world chess champion asked Texas Tech for $1 million in...

Turkey Dig Unearths 'Oldest Gaming Tokens Ever'

Archaeologists puzzle over game's strategy

(Newser) - Bronze-Age chess, anyone? Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed a handful of pretty, 5,000-year-old stone carvings that may be the oldest gaming tokens ever found. Featuring dogs, pigs, pyramids, dice, and other shapes, the colorful tokens were discovered in a burial mound filled with other artifacts, Discovery reports. "It'...

Boy Scouts Unveil Game-Design Merit Badge

Board games, card games, and even smartphone apps are possible

(Newser) - When you think of the Boy Scouts, you probably imagine kids doing rugged, outdoor activities. But Scouts can earn merit badges in all manner of esoteric fields, and today the organization unveiled the latest, and one of the quirkiest: game design. The badge, developed over the past two years with...

Monopoly's New Token: the Cat

Iron will be replaced after monthlong contest

(Newser) - Say hello to the Monopoly cat. A monthlong contest to replace one of the board game's old tokens ended late last night, and Hasbro announced today that fans voted to chuck the iron and welcome the cat. ( Not exactly a shocker , this being an Internet contest and all....

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