The best board games from the 17th century🏛 2026

Scopa is a traditional Italian card game played for over 400 years. It uses a 40-card Italian deck and can be played by four players in partnerships or individually. Players aim to capture cards from the table based on their values, scoring points for various achievements, such as sweeping the table or collecting the most cards. The game continues until a player or team reaches a specific point total, typically 11 or 21.

The Russian variant of checkers features unique rules that set it apart from other versions. Played on the dark squares of an 8x8 board, pieces move forward but can capture both forward and backward. Players promote their pieces to kings upon reaching the back row, allowing for more powerful movements, while the game concludes when a player can no longer make a move. It was once the dominant game in Russia before chess gained popularity and remains highly regarded with various tournament formats.

Whist is a trick-taking card game that uses a standard deck and was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. The simplest version involves fixed partnerships without bidding, where players must follow the leading suit or play a trump if they cannot follow. The goal is to win more than 6 tricks, with each trick earning 1 point, and variations exist for determining trump suits and scoring bonuses for holding high-ranking cards in the trump suit.

Players take on the role of competing with twenty pieces each on a 10x10 checkered board. The game involves specific movement rules for both regular pieces and kings, including mandatory maximum captures and conditions for a draw. It is played widely across Europe and parts of Africa, as well as in several countries beyond these continents.

Fanorona is a classic strategic abstract two-player game that originates from Madagascar, where it remains popular. Played on a rectangular board composed of two Alquerque boards with 22 simple black and white pieces, players must capture opponent pieces, and can execute multiple captures in a single turn. The game's unique aspects include the ways pieces can capture and the "vela partie," a penalty game that requires the winner to let the loser capture pieces for a set number of turns after a decisive victory.