Games and Competition

Paul Morphy (left) and a friend

A Chess Champion’s Dominance—and Madness

As a young man, Paul Morphy vanquished eight opponents simultaneously while effectively blindfolded

The winner of the 1911 Indianapolis 500 averaged about 75 mph, less than half the winning speed in today's race.

One Hundred Years of the Indy 500

A century ago, the first Indianapolis 500 race started in high excitement and ended in a muddle

A dozen roses from a suitor may be flattering, but they can't compare to the tacit admission that we are in the same league.

The Newlywed Games

"You compete me"

Many of the tracks A.F. Van Order frequented were built of wood and banked to enable riders to go faster.

The Early, Deadly Days of Motorcycle Racing

Photographer A.F. Van Order captured the thrills and spills of board-track motorcycle racing in the 1910s

Dinner party

Games to Play Around the Dinner Table

Suggestions for every type of dinner party

"You have to be grateful in Vegas. It's the great lesson of the city, the thing I'm taking as a souvenir," says J.R. Moehringer.

Las Vegas: An American Paradox

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist J.R. Moehringer rolls the dice on life in Sin City

The little league baseball team from Monterrey, Mexico became the first team from outside the United States to win the Little League World Series.

The Little League World Series’ Only Perfect Game

In 1957, Mexico’s scrawny players overcame the odds to become the first foreign team to win the Little League World Series

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Science Contests Across the Web

With the concave shape of the asphalt lanes, the path of the ball can be unpredictable. Veteran players, however, have learned to use the physics of the wheel-like disk and the curvature of the lane to their advantage.

Weave, Wobble and Roll: Feather Bowling

The unusual Belgian sport has a small but loyal following in Detroit

The Luce Foundation Center is a three-story exploratorium located in the top levels of the American Art Museum. The final quests in "Ghosts of a Chance" took place here on October 25. Nearly 250 people participated.

The End of the Game, a Mystery in Four Parts

In a first-hand account of participating in an alternative reality game, one player gets caught up in the challenge

The large eyes of a red dragonfly.

Bugs, Brains and Trivia

No detail is too small for students at the Linnaean games, an annual national insect trivia competition

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Insect Trivia

Test your insect knowledge by answering these trivia questions

"Spirits are taking up residence in the museum; nothing is as it seem, even in this photograph," says game director John Maccabee

Get Your Game On

At the Smithsonian American Art Museum, tech-savvy players gather clues in the alternate reality game "Ghosts of a Chance"

Crash and Burn

 So a master kite builder, I am not. I found that much out at the 42nd Annual Smithsonian Kite Festival this past Saturday

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On the Job

A Westminster Dog Show judge talks about his canine career

At an altitude of 12,300 feet, the Shandur Pass is usually populated by grazing yaks. But once a year it turns into the world's highest polo ground. When teams from Chitral and Gilgit face off—as they have since 1933—tribesmen gather for the mayhem.

Extreme Polo

There are no holds barred at the annual grudge match in northwest Pakistan's "land of mirth and murder"

Philadelphia was, and remains, the crucible of North American cricket. In 1908, native son J. Barton King set records that stood for 40 years.

The History of Cricket in the United States

The game is both very British and, to Americans, very confusing. But it was once our national pastime, and its gaining fans on these shores

Michelangelo's David, the centerpiece of the Accademia.

Cricket for Dummies

It's a lot like baseball. Except that it's profoundly different

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Last Race on Earth

In a quest for the ultimate challenge, marathoners go the distance in Antarctica

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In the Fast Lane

Drivers gear up to set speed records at Utah's desolate Bonneville Salt Flats

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