Go

Players: 2

Difficulty: Intermediate

Duration: 30-180 minutes

Description: By all appearances, it's just two players taking turns laying stones on a 19×19 (or smaller) grid of intersections. But once its basic rules are understood, Go shows its staggering depth. One can see why many people say it's one of the most elegant brain-burning abstract games in history, with players trying to claim territory by walling off sections of the board and surrounding each other's stones. The game doesn't end until the board fills up, or, more often, when both players agree to end it, at which time whoever controls the most territory wins.

Learn to Play: Click here for a video walkthrough

Academic Ties To: Business, Game Design, History, International Studies, Athletics

More Info: This game on Wikipedia

Fun Fact: The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day.