六博

Played from the Warring States period through the Han dynasty: two players threw six sticks to move their pieces around a square board marked with lines shaped like the letters T, L and V. The rules were lost after the Han, and scholars have tried to rebuild them from boards found in tombs. Also written 六簙.

In the 史记, a quarrel over a game of liubo ends with the Han crown prince, later Emperor Jing, killing the heir of Wu, 刘贤, with the board, a grudge that helped spark the 七国之乱 'Rebellion of the Seven States'. 博 is the old word for such games, kept in 赌博 'gambling' and 博弈.