Rithmomachia

Rithmomachia, also known as The Philosophers Game, was an early European board game which peaked in popularity in about the 15th century. The earliest known description of it dates from the eleventh century. Some sources indicate its date of origin to be much earlier, possibly even having a Greek origin. A literal translation of the name is "The Battle of the Numbers". The game is much like chess, except the board is double the size and most methods of capture depend on numbers inscribed on each piece.