Get naughty
The weekend visit to the Design Store in Bengaluru was a disappointment. As a regular customer over the years, and homes cluttered with their beds, sofas, and benches, I’d hoped to find a desk that might inspire me to catch up with all that pending paperwork. In a sign of more aggressive times where all retail channels must be explored, I
saw a stack of Kreeda games, and a clutch of palm-sized metal planes and cars. Dispirited after a long drive through horrific traffic and with no desk in sight, I was about to leave, when I chanced upon this designer piece of Naughts & Crosses, being used as some sort of art deco prop!
I paid `250 for this last piece of an apparently ‘out of production’ line. The packaging couldn’t be found. The store manager ignored my suggestion that a discount should be considered for this naked piece of merchandise. In any case, I knew I must have it, the moment I set eyes on it! The wooden base with circular insets was carelessly tossed into a paper bag. The nine dully glistening, matt metal cylindrical play pieces were stuffed into a tiny envelope. It poured as I left the store. Precious bag held close to chest, I rushed to the car, looking forward to getting home, and rediscovering a long forgotten pleasure. Naughts & Crosses brought back memories of quick furtively stolen games during classes in school. Drawing a vertical set of parallels, intersected with parallel horizontals, and holding out a pen, was an instantly recognised and always accepted challenge to play. I frequently played Naughts & Crosses with friends and complete strangers while travelling, till I started carrying an odd assortment of board games with me, wherever I went. It’s time to rediscover the simple joys of the classics!
Four of the cylinders are red inside, and five with chalky white innards. My win-lose ratio after years of the game is more or less even. An early introduction to Naughts & Crosses is surely responsible for my fascination with games like Pente, Quarto, Othello and Gobblet. Designer Naughts & Crosses was a great find, even though I promptly lost my first few rounds!
— The author may be contacted at arup_kavan@yahoo.com
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