GAMES RULE! Certainly, they did in the 19th-century Indian palace of Krishna Raja Wodeyar III, royal creator of a box of 11 board games, complete with a tricky lock (a game in itself to open). At "Asian Games: The Art of Contest," an exhibit at the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, kids can peek at the ingenious box and a painting of its inventor atop a dazzling elephant.
Opening late last month and running through May 15, the exhibit, organized by the Asia Society in New York, showcases 160 game sets, pieces and centuries-old pictures of people having fun. Through child-oriented labels, framed in colorful squares, young visitors can learn about the origins of games, such as chess and backgammon, still popular today, and get a sense of how current favorites evolved from older models in Persia, China, India and Japan. The exhibit's four sections -- games of chance, strategy, physical skill, and meaning and matching -- testify to the variety and appeal of games through the ages.
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