Alquerque, středověká hra králů

ALQUERQUE – a traditional strategic game, the ancestor of modern draughts (checkers in the US). According to some researchers, the origins of ALQUERQUE (just as in the case of the ZAMMA game) date back to the ancient Egypt to a period between 15th and 7th century BC.

It’s a well known fact that this game appeared in Europe after the Arabs had invaded the Iberian Peninsula and it was called by them El-Quirkat. Under such name it is mentioned in the oldest written source describing the game in teh book Kitab Al-Aghani. The term Alquerque is a Spanish translation of the Arabic name for the game, which can be found in the ''Book of Games'' of the King Alfonso the Wise. ALQUERQUE still enjoys great popularity in the Middle East and Spain. Untypical board makes this game more interesting and exciting, compared to ''traditional'' draughts.