a game played on a specially designed board

a game for one or more players played with a pre-marked surface

a game played with a pre-marked surface and counters or pieces that are moved across the board

a headache to figure out how to play, even with

A board game is a game played with counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a "board" (a premarked surface, usually specific to that game). Simple board games often make ideal "family entertainment" since they are often appropriate for all ages. Some board games, such as chess, go/weiqi, xiangqi, shogi, or oware, have intense strategic value and have been classics for centuries.