Descended from the Arabic game Alquerque, then adapted in the south of France in the twelfth century using backgammon pieces on a chess board, the game of Checkers, or Draughts, has a long and storied history. The game is played worldwide with dozens of international rules and board sizes, but this particular set follows the rules of American checkers, which are the simplest and most straightforward. With just 64 squares on the board and 12 pieces per side, American checkers is a perfect board game to teach children and other board game beginners.

Upgrade from the old, folding cardboard to all natural wood. This wood board is 11" square and includes 24 wooden checkers just under 1" in diameter in shades of dark brown and cream. The layout of 8 rows and 8 columns of squares follows standard American checkers rules, which are as easy as this: you may only move your pieces, diagonally, one square at a time; if you can capture an opponent's adjacent piece by jumping over it, you must; pieces that reach the last row are 'kinged,' and can now move both forwards and backwards. Simple rules, quality wood, and of course, no batteries required!

And don't forget, on the back there's a Tic-Tac-Toe board. Get two classic games for the price of one!