Board Games

Have you ever noticed the resemblance between board games and life? Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Monopoly, Jigsaw Puzzles! All have a stark similarity with our lives!

Snakes and Ladders: You can have as much of a lead start, but you never know when you may get caught by a snake. The biggest snake is when you're nearest to the goal. Slow and steady may win the race, or he may not. The external factor, luck, is in the form of the die. If it is in your favour, you'll keep on rising, if not you'll be stagnant. In this game, all are equal. There are no strong or weak players.

Chess: Oh the favorite quote "When the game of chess is over, the pawn and the queen go into the same box." I am so a huge fan of the person who invented the game of chess. While as a player I'm average, to say the least, yet I find the game just so intriguing. The way the soldiers are placed to protect the army, the king, the queen, bishop, knight, and rook. Their calculated movements. A parallel to everything in life can be drawn on a chess board. Here, there are no equals. The pawn is to protect the army. The rook is the one who is powerful. The knight, the underdog, who with his moves can spring surprises. The bishop covers great distances moving diagonally. The queen can go wherever she wants with no restriction. And yet the most important coin is the king. If the king is captured, the game is over. finito.

Monopoly: The game of money. Buy/Sell/Mortgage/Rent. The best way to instill the understanding of money to a youngster. The game has in it all the nuances of real life finances. Broke! Fortune! Community Chest, Chance, Salary. The importance of grouping. Its a financial strategists chess.

Jigsaw Puzzles: The simplest of the lot, yet the most true to life. We all have to fit in. I wish they made more complex jigsaw puzzles for adults. Would love to try one of them!

I scoff at anyone who thinks that board games are only for kids. Board games are for anyone, as long as they are strategic in their approach, and dont scatter all the pieces if the games not going in their favour ;).