Strykbrädans

Strykbrädan is a traditional Swedish checkered board game played on a square board with 64 small squares, similar to a chess board. The game is also known as "Checkmate" in English, although it is not related to the chess game with a similar name. The name "Strykbrädan" literally translates to "strike board" in Swedish.

The game originated in the 17th century in Sweden and was popularized by a letter writing campaign from a Swedish schoolmaster, Jakob Elmgarten, in the 1670s. However, the game's exact origins and predecessor versions remain unclear.

The game of Strykbrädan consists of single squares marked with a heavy capital letter or a punctuation mark. Players try to get their opponent's pieces to land on a square marked with an "X" or a specific location where that square is moved or strikes onto to win the game. Players can slide checks over a Queen or Rook. Game over when a player inscribes the battle point of a move.