Games, Hobbies & Recreational Activities, SIX-éCA

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Back To Games, Hobbies & Recreational Activities Page

Games, Hobbies & Recreational Activities Encyclopedia Articles By Title

sixty-six
sixty-six, two-player card game, ancestral to bezique and pinochle, that was first recorded in 1718 under the name......
skat
skat, card game for three players, but usually four participate, with each player sitting out a turn as dealer.......
skittles
skittles, game of bowling at pins, played primarily in Great Britain. Skittles was played for centuries in public......
skydiving
skydiving, use of a parachute—for either recreational or competitive purposes—to slow a diver’s descent to the......
slap jack
slap jack, children’s action card game for up to eight players. A 52-card deck is dealt in facedown stacks (which......
Sloane, Sir Hans, Baronet
Sir Hans Sloane, Baronet was a British physician and naturalist whose collection of books, manuscripts, and curiosities......
Smyslov, Vasily Vasilyevich
Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Russian chess master who won the world championship from Mikhail Botvinnik in......
snooker
snooker, popular billiards game of British origin, played on a table similar in size and markings to that used......
solitaire
solitaire, family of card games played by one person. Solitaire was originally called (in various spellings) either......
Soma Cube
Soma Cube, irregular shape formed by combining three or four similar cubes along several faces. There are seven......
Sony
Sony, major Japanese manufacturer of consumer electronics products whose diverse activities have included films,......
Space Invaders
Space Invaders, arcade game created by Japanese engineer and game designer Nishikado Tomohiro in 1978 and produced......
spades
spades, trick-taking card game of the whist family that became very popular in the United States in the 1990s,......
Spassky, Boris
Boris Spassky is a Russian chess master who was world champion from 1969 to 1972. (Read Garry Kasparov’s Britannica......
spearfishing
spearfishing, sport of underwater hunting that became popular in the early 1930s and after World War II spread......
spelling bee
spelling bee, contest or game in which players attempt to spell correctly and aloud words assigned them by an impartial......
Spore
Spore, electronic artificial-life game, designed by American computer programmer Will Wright, who created SimCity......
sport climbing
sport climbing, a type of rock climbing in which climbers ascend a route that is equipped with preplaced permanent......
StarCraft
StarCraft, electronic game published by Blizzard Entertainment (now a division of Activision Blizzard). Released......
Staunton, Howard
Howard Staunton was a British chess master who was considered to be the world’s leading player in the 1840s. In......
Stefanova, Antoaneta
Antoaneta Stefanova is a Bulgarian chess player who was the women’s world champion (2004–06). In 1989 Stefanova......
Steinitz, Wilhelm
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian-American chess master who is considered to have been the world champion longer......
stickball
stickball, game played on a street or other restricted area, with a stick, such as a mop handle or broomstick,......
stilt
stilt, one of a pair of poles with footrests, used for walking. Stilts were originally designed for use in crossing......
Stow, John
John Stow was one of the best-known Elizabethan antiquaries, author of the famous A Survey of London (1598; revised......
straight-rail billiards
straight-rail billiards, billiard game played with three balls (one red and two white) on a table without pockets.......
Street Fighter
Street Fighter, electronic fighting game series, originally released as an arcade game in 1987 by the Japanese......
stunt flying
stunt flying, the performance of aerial feats requiring great skill or daring. (Read Orville Wright’s 1929 biography......
sudoku
sudoku, popular form of number game. In its simplest and most common configuration, sudoku consists of a 9 × 9......
Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros., console game created by the Japanese electronic game manufacturer Nintendo Company, Ltd., in......
tag
tag, children’s game in which, in its simplest form, the player who is “it” chases the other players, trying to......
Tal, Mikhail Nekhemyevich
Mikhail Nekhemyevich Tal was a Latvian chess grandmaster who in 1960, at the age of 23, became the youngest world......
tarot
tarot, any of a set of cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling. Tarot decks were invented in Italy in......
tarot game
tarot game, trick-taking game played with a tarot deck, a special pack of cards containing a fifth suit bearing......
Tarrasch, Siegbert
Siegbert Tarrasch was a German chess master and physician who was noted for his books on chess theories. Tarrasch......
teetotum
teetotum, form of top having usually 4, 6, 8, or 12 sides marked with distinctive symbols. A teetotum is used for......
Tenzing Norgay
Tenzing Norgay was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer who in 1953 became, with Edmund Hillary of New Zealand, the......
Tetris
Tetris, video game created by Russian designer Alexey Pajitnov in 1985 that allows players to rotate falling blocks......
Texas hold’em
Texas hold’em, a community-card variant of poker in which players attempt to make the best five-card hand of the......
The Legend of Zelda
When Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda for the Japanese market in 1986, it marked a new era in the culture,......
Thomason, George
George Thomason was an English bookseller whose collection of printed books, handbills, pamphlets, ballads, newspapers,......
Thompson, Jim
Jim Thompson was an American-born Thai businessman who turned Thai silk making into a major industry selling worldwide......
Timeline: The History of Mattel
Like many iconic American companies, Mattel sprang from modest roots. Begun in a garage in 1945 by a husband and......
tip-cat
tip-cat, outdoor game dating back at least to the 17th century and introduced to North America and elsewhere by......
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider, action game created in 1996 by British electronic game developers Core Design in partnership with......
top
top, a toy having a body of conical, circular, or oval shape, often hollow, with a point or peg on which it turns......
Totnes, George Carew, earl of
George Carew, earl of Totnes was an English soldier, administrator, and antiquary noted for his service in Ireland......
Tower of Hanoi
Tower of Hanoi, puzzle involving three vertical pegs and a set of different sized disks with holes through their......
toy
toy, plaything, usually for an infant or child, and often an instrument used in a game. Toys, playthings, and games......
toy theatre
toy theatre, popular 19th-century English children’s toy that provides modern theatre historians with a valuable......
Trente et Quarante
Trente et Quarante, (“Red and Black”), French card game played at Monte- Carlo and French and Italian gambling......
triumph
triumph, 16th-century card game ancestral to whist. In triomphe, the French variety known to English contemporaries......
Trivial Pursuit
One of the most popular board games of the late 20th century, Trivial Pursuit requires players to correctly answer......
trolling
trolling, method of fishing in which a lure or a bait is pulled behind a boat at varying speeds and depths according......
Turkish checkers
Turkish checkers, board game, variety of the game checkers (draughts) in which all 64 squares of the board are......
twenty questions
twenty questions, guessing game in which one player thinks of an object and informs his opponents whether it is......
twenty-five
twenty-five, Ireland’s national card game, related to the classic Spanish game of ombre. It was played under the......
twenty-six
twenty-six, dice game popular in the Midwestern United States from the 1920s through the 1950s, in which a player......
Twitch
Twitch, American online live streaming platform where users can watch video game footage. Founded in 2011, Twitch......
Uhde, Wilhelm
Wilhelm Uhde was a German collector, art dealer, and writer who was strongly influenced by the ideas of Friedrich......
Ulvang, Vegard
Vegard Ulvang is a Norwegian Nordic skier known both for his successful racing career and for his many adventurous......
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament, electronic first-person shooter (FPS) game, released by American game developer GT Interactive......
Vanderbilt, William Henry
William Henry Vanderbilt was an American railroad magnate and philanthropist who nearly doubled the Vanderbilt......
Vertue, George
George Vertue was a British antiquarian and engraver known primarily for his portraits and book illustrations.......
vint
vint, trick-taking card game, popular around the Baltic Sea, and a significant contributor to the development of......
Vollard, Ambroise
Ambroise Vollard was a French art dealer and publisher who in the late 19th and early 20th centuries championed......
Wallace, Sir Richard, Baronet
Sir Richard Wallace, Baronet was a British art collector and philanthropist whose name is perpetuated by the famous......
Walton, Izaak
Izaak Walton was an English biographer and author of The Compleat Angler (1653), a pastoral discourse on the joys......
Weber, Dick
Dick Weber was an American professional bowler, who was a charter member of the Professional Bowlers Association......
Weber, Pete
Pete Weber is an American bowler who was one of the sport’s greatest players, though he arguably attracted more......
whist
whist, trick-taking card game developed in England. The English national card game has passed through many phases......
Whymper, Edward
Edward Whymper was an English mountaineer and artist who was associated with the exploration of the Alps and was......
Widener, Peter A.B.
Peter A.B. Widener was an American transportation magnate and philanthropist. The son of poor parents, Widener......
Wii Fit
Wii Fit, interactive electronic fitness game released in 2007 by the Nintendo Company Ltd. for their Wii gaming......
Wii Sports
Wii Sports, electronic game created by Japanese designer Eguchi Katsuya and produced by Nintendo for the 2006 launch......
Williams, Walter Ray, Jr.
Walter Ray Williams, Jr. is an American professional bowler who was the first person to earn more than $2 million,......
Wood, Anthony
Anthony Wood was an English antiquarian whose life was devoted to collecting and publishing the history of Oxford......
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft (WoW), massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created by the American company......
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker consists of a series of poker events that culminate with a winner being crowned annually......
Xbox
Xbox, video game console system created by the American company Microsoft. The Xbox, Microsoft’s first entry into......
Xie Jun
Xie Jun is a chess grandmaster who was twice women’s world chess champion, from 1991 to 1996 and again from 1999......
Xu Yuhua
Xu Yuhua is a Chinese chess player who was the women’s world champion (2006–08). In 1998 Xu won the Fédération......
yo-yo
yo-yo, a toy that falls and rises back to the hand by the unwinding and rewinding of a string attached to an axle......
Zhu Chen
Zhu Chen is a Chinese chess player who was the women’s world champion (2001–04). In 1988 Zhu became the first Chinese......
Zork
Will Crowther’s Adventure (c. 1975) was the prototype for text-based computer games organized as interactive stories,......
écarté
écarté, card game usually played for a stake with nonplayers making side bets. The game was highly popular in France......

Games, Hobbies & Recreational Activities Encyclopedia Articles By Title