Cross and Circle game
Encyclopedia
Cross and Circle is a board game
design used for race games played throughout the world.
divided into four equal portions by a cross inscribed inside it; the classic example of this design is Yut
. However, the term "cross and circle" is typically taken to include boards that replace the circle with a square, and cruciform boards that collapse the circle onto the cross; all 3 types are topologically equivalent. Ludo
and Parcheesi
(both descendants of Pachisi
) are frequently played cruciform games.
The category may also be expanded to include circular or square boards without a cross which are nevertheless quartered (Zohn Ahl
), and boards that have more than 4 "spokes" (Aggravation
, Trivial Pursuit
). The Aztec game board for Patolli
which—because it consists of a collapsed circle without an interior cross—has the distinction of being a cross that is a circle (topologically), without being a cross plus circle.
Markers are moved around spaces drawn on the circle and on the cross, with the goal of being the first player to move all markers all the way around the board. Generally the circle of the cross and circle forms the primary circuit followed by players' pieces. The function of the cross is more variable; for example, in Yut the cross forms shortcuts to the end, whereas in Pashisi the 4 "spokes" are used as player-specific exits and entrances to the pieces' home. In non-race games (like Coppit
and Trivial Pursuit
) all paths may be undifferentiated in function.
or Chaupat boards of the Moghul ruler Akbar (1542–1605), designed to accommodate humans as playing pieces, "still represent the earliest secure evidence for the existence of the game in India." Culin
found evidence for a Nyout-like game existing in China in the 3rd century AD, though this does not seem to be accepted by Murray
. Mayan cross and circle boards have been found on stones from the 7th century AD. Although frequently encountered among the native tribes of North America (particularly as a "quartered circle" design) these boards were not made of durable materials, so generally the writings and collections of European-Americans constitute their earliest attestations.
s; sun
and earth
symbols; swastika
s; or Celtic
, Coptic
, and Greek crosses. However, mere visual similarities do not prove a deeper connection; and demonstrating any historical connection has proven to be a slippery matter. Many modern discussions of the religious, magical, or divinatory genesis of board games stem from the work of Stewart Culin
who postulated a single source: the "classification of all things according to the Four Directions" by means of divinatory arrows, and that "[s]urvivals of these magical processes constitute our present games" (including all dice, board, card, and domino games). He quotes, for example, an "account of the Zuñi War Gods" which explicitly links divination, the 4 quarters of the earth, and games. Nyout (Yut) and Native American games like Zohn Ahl are integral to his argument. However later scholars have called into question our ability to assign historical precedence among randomizing activities such as divination, impartial decision-making, gambling, and game-playing, and elements of his monolithic genealogy of games have been called "absurd."
Nevertheless, if origins confound us, some historical connections are in evidence. In the 19th century, Yut stick dice were used for divination, their results being looked up in a book not unlike the I Ching
.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
design used for race games played throughout the world.
Design
Strictly, the design comprises a circleCircle
A circle is a simple shape of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane that are a given distance from a given point, the centre. The distance between any of the points and the centre is called the radius....
divided into four equal portions by a cross inscribed inside it; the classic example of this design is Yut
Yut
Yut Nori is a traditional board game played in Korea, especially during Korean New Year. The game is also called cheok-sa or sa-hee...
. However, the term "cross and circle" is typically taken to include boards that replace the circle with a square, and cruciform boards that collapse the circle onto the cross; all 3 types are topologically equivalent. Ludo
Ludo (board game)
Ludo is a simple board game for two to four players, in which the players race their four tokens from start to finish according to dice rolls. Like other cross and circle games, it is similar to the Indian Pachisi, but simpler...
and Parcheesi
Parcheesi
Parcheesi is a brand name American adaptation of the Indian Cross and Circle game Pachisi. Created in India perhaps as early as 500 AD, the board game is subtitled Royal Game of India because royalty played using color-costumed members of their harems as pieces on large outdoor boards. Such a court...
(both descendants of Pachisi
Pachisi
Pachisi is a cross and circle board game that originated in ancient India which has been described as the "national game of India". It is played on a board shaped like a symmetrical cross...
) are frequently played cruciform games.
The category may also be expanded to include circular or square boards without a cross which are nevertheless quartered (Zohn Ahl
Zohn Ahl
Zohn Ahl is a roll-and-move board game played by the Kiowa Indians of North America. It is often cited as a typical representative of many similar Native American games...
), and boards that have more than 4 "spokes" (Aggravation
Aggravation (board game)
Aggravation, sometimes called Frustration, is a board game for up to six players in which the object is to be the first player to have all four playing pieces reach the player's home section of the board...
, Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...
). The Aztec game board for Patolli
Patolli
Patolli or patole is one of the oldest games in America. It was very much a game of commoners and nobles alike and it was reported by the conquistadors that Montezuma often enjoyed watching his nobles play the game at court.-History:Patolli was played by a wide range of pre-Columbian...
which—because it consists of a collapsed circle without an interior cross—has the distinction of being a cross that is a circle (topologically), without being a cross plus circle.
Markers are moved around spaces drawn on the circle and on the cross, with the goal of being the first player to move all markers all the way around the board. Generally the circle of the cross and circle forms the primary circuit followed by players' pieces. The function of the cross is more variable; for example, in Yut the cross forms shortcuts to the end, whereas in Pashisi the 4 "spokes" are used as player-specific exits and entrances to the pieces' home. In non-race games (like Coppit
Coppit
Coppit is a running-fight board game created in 1927 by Otto Maier Verlag which was originally called Fang den Hut . It was renamed has been re-released several times, most notably by the Spear's Games company in 1964. It is a game for 2-6 players and is based partly on luck with a die and partly...
and Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...
) all paths may be undifferentiated in function.
History
Although these board game designs may be of considerable antiquity, firm evidence is sparse. For cruciform boards, the monumental PachisiPachisi
Pachisi is a cross and circle board game that originated in ancient India which has been described as the "national game of India". It is played on a board shaped like a symmetrical cross...
or Chaupat boards of the Moghul ruler Akbar (1542–1605), designed to accommodate humans as playing pieces, "still represent the earliest secure evidence for the existence of the game in India." Culin
Stewart Culin
Stewart Culin was an ethnographer and author interested in games, art and dress. He believed that similarity in gaming demonstrated similarity and contact among cultures across the world.-Early life:...
found evidence for a Nyout-like game existing in China in the 3rd century AD, though this does not seem to be accepted by Murray
Harold James Ruthven Murray
Harold James Ruthven Murray , was an English educationalist, inspector of schools, and prominent chess historian. He was the first to publish the theory that chess originated in India...
. Mayan cross and circle boards have been found on stones from the 7th century AD. Although frequently encountered among the native tribes of North America (particularly as a "quartered circle" design) these boards were not made of durable materials, so generally the writings and collections of European-Americans constitute their earliest attestations.
Esoteric connections
Cross and circle boards may suggest a variety of mystical, symbolic, or esoteric designs such as mandalaMandala
Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point...
s; sun
Solar symbol
A solar symbol is a symbol which symbolises the Sun. Solar symbols can have significance in psychoanalysis, symbolism, semiotics, astrology, religion, mythology, mysticism, divination, heraldry, and vexillology, among other fields.Some solar symbols include:...
and earth
Astrological symbols
Astrological symbols are images used in various astrological systems to denote relevant objects. A number of such images are shown below.-History and origin:...
symbols; swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
s; or Celtic
Celtic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
, Coptic
Coptic cross
The original Coptic cross may have been influenced from the Coptic ankh symbol and was adopted by early Christian Gnostics, most notably Valentinus of Alexandria, Egypt. Today's cross has many different forms. The circle represents the eternal and everlasting love of God. Christ's halo was commonly...
, and Greek crosses. However, mere visual similarities do not prove a deeper connection; and demonstrating any historical connection has proven to be a slippery matter. Many modern discussions of the religious, magical, or divinatory genesis of board games stem from the work of Stewart Culin
Stewart Culin
Stewart Culin was an ethnographer and author interested in games, art and dress. He believed that similarity in gaming demonstrated similarity and contact among cultures across the world.-Early life:...
who postulated a single source: the "classification of all things according to the Four Directions" by means of divinatory arrows, and that "[s]urvivals of these magical processes constitute our present games" (including all dice, board, card, and domino games). He quotes, for example, an "account of the Zuñi War Gods" which explicitly links divination, the 4 quarters of the earth, and games. Nyout (Yut) and Native American games like Zohn Ahl are integral to his argument. However later scholars have called into question our ability to assign historical precedence among randomizing activities such as divination, impartial decision-making, gambling, and game-playing, and elements of his monolithic genealogy of games have been called "absurd."
Nevertheless, if origins confound us, some historical connections are in evidence. In the 19th century, Yut stick dice were used for divination, their results being looked up in a book not unlike the I Ching
I Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
.