A strange little side quest
Before the next round of XO Tic Tac Toe, here is a piece of the bigger picture. The word 'checkmate' is linked to the Persian expression 'shah mat', used when the king was trapped. That is only half the story. Nintendo's Donkey Kong arrived in 1981 and introduced the character first known as Jumpman, who later became Mario. It is a good reminder that simple game mechanics can carry a surprising amount of history.