The box holds the board and forty wooden pieces: twenty black and twenty in light wood, with the familiar turned rings on top. The rules come in Dutch and French, as does the title on the lid.
Draughts is one of the oldest games there is, and the rules take five minutes to learn: move diagonally forward, jump over an opponent's piece to capture it, and a piece that reaches the far side is crowned. After that the real work begins, because there is no limit to how far ahead you can think.
It is a game for exactly two players, and a match lasts as long as you make it: a quarter of an hour when it goes quickly, far longer once it gets tense.
Wooden pieces feel different from plastic, which is why this is the kind of game that stays out on the table instead of disappearing into a cupboard. A classic to teach a child, and one to play with a grandparent.
