Gambling Game or Parlor Game?
Recently I played Bunco as a substitute for a regular player. Some years ago I also played as a sub but it was so long ago I couldn’t actually remember much about the game. It involves dice, a small amount of money and continually changing partners and tables. Anyway, I enjoyed myself very much and hope I get invited to play again. The name, Bunco, has me wondering about its history. I imaged that it got its name from the dice and the gambling connection. I checked it out at Wikipedia.org where I learned that Bunco was originally called “8-Dice cloth” when it was played in England during the 18th century. In 1855 the game came to San Francisco as a gambling activity in what were called “Bunko parlors”. After the civil war it became a parlor game (which it is today). It became a gambling game during Prohibition in the 1920′s and was popular in speakeasy clubs. When police raided a speakeasy they were called “Bunco squads”. Bunco became the general name that refers to confidence games, swindles and scams. Today Bunco is a delightful parlor game. It takes no skill at all. It all depends on the throw of three dice. Game consists of six rounds starting from one and ending at six. Each player rolls three dice hoping to get the target number for that round. One point is given for getting the target number. Getting the target number on all three dice is Bunco and the player is awarded 21 points. When the head table gets 21 points the round is over and all players change partners and tables. Winner of the game is the player with the most points. A prize may be given. Bunco is especially enjoyed by women who have Bunco clubs that meet once a month (or whenever) at a different home. The hostess provides refreshments and perhaps prizes. It makes for a delightful social evening.
Backgammon Anyone?
I had a good giggle over this cartoon and just want to share this with my readers. Not a backgammon player? Picture this with checkers, chess or another favorite game. You might even want to consider keeping your dog under you gaming table for moments like this. Enjoy.
Play Chess, Get Smarter.
Grandmaster Research Project.
The University of Haifa (Israel) along with Grandmaster Boris Gelfand is conducting a scientific study on the “correlation between chess and cognitive enhancement” as reported in the Israel21c. in its article Can chess make you smarter? I suggest you click the link and read the article in its entirety.
Young Chess Player.
More and more conversations concerning chess, education, and brain development are taking place worldwide. There is talk about adding chess to school curricula and also teaching chess to very young children. In my last post I addressed a chess scholarship. I think it’s about time that chess was given its importance as a major player (pun intended) on the world stage of education.
Chess Scholarships for College.
Award Brains not just Brawn.
I just came across this post in one of my Linkedin Chess Groups, Scholastic Chess so I am just going to copy it directly from George K.’s post.
Chess Scholarships for College.
I just wanted to make everyone aware of a new college chess program that has started this year and is looking to expand greatly for the upcoming years. I joined the Lindenwood University Chess Team and have had a chance to study under Yasser Seirawan and really improve my chess game as well as earn a college education (under a scholarship . The team has several national and international masters, and we’ll only be getting better.
There are scholarships for playing on the chess team and you don’t have to be a master to get it. I just wanted to make parents and students aware of this opportunity, I think its pretty cool and the spots will fill up quick.
If you could spread the info it would be appreciated.
For more info give me a call at 862-CHECK-M8.