Archaeologists have found two ancient engraved chessboards probably used by soldiers on the Great Wall more than 700 years ago at Qinhuangdao, North China's Hebei Province.
The two boards, one for Chinese chess and the other for the ancient game "Tiger Eats Sheep", were engraved on a stone in front of a Great Wall beacon tower possibly in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), said officials with the provincial department of cultural relics.
Archaeologists believe that soldiers from all parts of ancient China used to play chess to while away the time on the remote wall.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Ancient engraved chessboards found on Great Wall