Draughts, known as checkers in North America, is believed to have originated on the French/Spanish border in the 12th century, when backgammon pieces were placed on a chess board and moved as in the well-known game of the time, alquerque. The earliest book on the game was by Antonio Torquemada of Valencia, Spain in 1547.

Information from Archives (e.g. 1994).

Submitted for use in Scholastic’s Modern Marvels.