Games and Competition
New Clue May Be the Key to Cracking CIA Sculpture's Final Puzzling Passage
"Northeast" joins "Berlin" and "clock" as hints for deciphering a 97-character section of Kryptos' code
The Best Board Games of 2019
Take to the skies, the national parks and to the streets of Tokyo in these offerings perfect for family gatherings
Is This Chess Piece Unearthed in Jordan the World's Oldest?
The two-pronged rook, found in a seventh-century trading post, shows how quickly the game spread across the Islamic world
Nepalese Mountaineer Smashes Speed Record for Climbing World's 14 Tallest Peaks
Former special forces soldier Nirmal Purja summited Everest, K2 and a dozen other 8,000-meter peaks in just six months
A.I. Mastered Backgammon, Chess and Go. Now It Takes On StarCraft II
DeepMind's AlphaStar learns the complex strategy video game, which has trillions and trillions of possible moves conducted in real time
How a Generation Became Obsessed With Tracking Down Carmen Sandiego
The globe-trotting thief of the popular 1985 computer game is back at it in a second season of an animated Netflix series
Holly Cow! Fattest Bear of Them All Claims Coveted Title
For #FatBearWeek2019, the furever fabulous 435 Holly reigns triumphant
A New Monopoly Celebrates Women. But What About the Game’s Own Overlooked Inventor?
At the turn of the 20th century, Lizzie Magie created the Landowner’s Game, which sought to teach players about the injustices of wealth concentration
How the Wiffle Ball Came to Be
Patented in 1957, the lightweight ball saved players' arms and more than a few windows
Thirty Years Ago, Game Boy Changed the Way America Played Video Games
Nintendo's handheld gaming system proved to be a huge success, thanks to its durability and battery life
This Poker-Playing A.I. Knows When to Hold 'Em and When to Fold 'Em
Pluribus won an average of around $5 per hand, or $1,000 per hour, when playing against five human opponents
The Spectacle and Drama of Netflix’s New Glassblowing Show Will Shatter Your Expectations
"Blown Away" showcases the incredible art form in an innovative reality competition series
When Twister Was Too Risqué for America
The hugely successful game, patented 50 years ago this week, had its critics at first
Meet Scamp the Tramp, the World’s Ugliest Dog
Scamp took home the top prize in an annual competition that seeks to promote dog adoption
A Medieval Chess Piece Potentially Worth $1.2 Million Languished in a Drawer for Decades
The Lewis warder, part of a larger trove of 12th-century ivory chessmen, was purchased for £5 in 1964
The National Spelling Bee Ended in an Unprecedented Eight-Way Tie
"We’re basically throwing the dictionary at you," pronouncer Jacques Bailly told the spellers. "[A]nd so far you are showing the dictionary who is boss"
Archaeologists Uncover an Ancient Roman Game Board at Hadrian's Wall
The cracked stone board was likely used to play ludus latrunculorum, Rome's favorite game
This Board Game Asks Players to Craft a Perfect Planet
In 'Planet', players compete to create worlds capable of sustaining the highest possible level of biodiversity
A Brief History of Cooties
Why a 100-year-old game is still spreading across our playgrounds
The History of the Spelling Bee
Even in the age of autofill, America is still in love with the centuries-old tradition
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