Foreign Media: Chinese scientists have unearthed a "cousin" of chess played by both nobles and commoners 2,000 years ago: In 2023, the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology discovered a 2,000-year-old "chessboard," along with exquisite figurines.
The board game known as "Liubo" was popular across all social classes during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC – 9 AD), evolving from a children's pastime into an intellectual sport for elites.
Liubo is a two-player game where each player controls six pieces, moving them on the board in strategic competition. It is considered a precursor to Chinese chess. Its exact rules were lost by the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), and some historians speculate that the game eventually faded into obscurity due to the rising popularity of Go.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871152955266112/
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