Historical games at Hadrian's Wall

The British Museum is sending 20 of the Lewis chessmen to a unique exhibition on the history of board games, which opens next week at the Roman fort of Segedunum, at the Newcastle end of Hadrian's Wall. It is the largest group the museum has loaned since it acquired the world famous set in 1831 - for £84, after the curator assured the dubious trustees that they would prove popular with the public.

The curator of the exhibition is Irving Finkel, an expert on board games . . .

Based on savage Monopoly sessions with his own five children, he rates the success of board games on their ability to enrage a player into storming out of the room. "That's really wonderful. When that happens you know you're on to a winner."

Posted by David on January 17, 2005 10:48 AM