Board games to brighten your day

 The month of April invites us to share in this community what is related to board games. A challenge that made me dust off and revive memories of some games that were sleeping lonely on a shelf in my house. In the course of the month, I have enjoyed the posts that allude to the theme with beautiful photos and stories. Today I add my contribution to this corner, with some games already shown and some different ones. The gratifying thing is that a board game can be within the reach of many families, but each being will have a different story and a different way of thinking about the interaction with them. ## Master Mind  It is a game that I have kept since I was a teenager. I bought it in **Poland** in the 80's, and I always liked it at home. It consists in that one player hides 4 colors, of those available, and the opponent, puts the colors he thinks will be the correct ones. The small black and white chips let you know if the color is in the correct position or not, and they are placed by the person who hid the 4 secret colors.   ## Chess  Considered one of the most tactical and strategic games I know. At home we have two games, one with big pieces to play on a table, and this small portable one, ideal for when we travel. Its board is made of metal and the pieces are held with a magnet on its base 🤭.  ## Naipe (Playing card)  My mother always liked to have several sets of playing cards at home. It was one of the best gifts she could receive from her friends. Searching in her room, I found this set of worn out cards, but they have the imprint of the time she used them, and for me they are a very special souvenir.  ## Cubilete  I was on scholarship during my pre-university stage. Between so much study and a strict disciplinary environment, we used to relax our minds playing **Cubilete**. A game well known by a certain generation in my country, where dice are used in the style of **poker** 🤭.  ## Tarot  The **Tarot** cards were part of one of my attractions when I dabbled in **energy therapies** and the various branches of **Holistic Medicine**. They are not cards for a simple game of entertainment. In them there is condensed an ancestral esoteric wisdom, whose foundations go back to the Chaldean and Egyptian culture. There are several versions of the Tarot, but my favorite is the **Egyptian Tarot**, because it integrates cabalistic numerology, Egyptian deities and hieroglyphics, together with zodiacal and planetary symbols. It is composed of 78 cards in total, which are divided into **Major Arcana** (first 22 cards), and **Minor Arcana**, the remaining 56. The tarorist, using a ritual and a given methodology, opens himself through the reading of the cards, to reveal to the querent, concrete and spiritual facts of his past, present and future.    ## Monopoly  My children always wanted to have a game of Monopoly at home, until I managed to please them. It is a long game, which helps to reflect, and to take action on issues related to the investment of tangible objects. I've never played it, but I've been told it's very interesting.  ## Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game  A few years ago, one of the most sought-after card games were cards **Yu-Gi-Oh!**. A Japanese game, the essence of which is the duel between a variety of monsters. I remember my children collecting and exchanging among their neighborhood friends, one type of monster, for another that they didn't have on their cards. Searching at home, I found this group of surviving monsters, printed on cardboard, and that have motivated the making of series and movies at an international level. Also, among collectors from other countries, there are some cards of their first batches that are valued at a high price.  ## Building blocks Something very simple and ideal for the childhood stage. Joining each block, you can build different structures for the creation of houses or other things.  ## Dominoes  It is considered the most popular board game in **Cuba**, and among Cubans who have emigrated. It is quite entertaining and is a way to feel the roots of your country of origin in other latitudes. I am not an expert in this game, I always like to set the domino with more points, but it is a pleasure to see how the professionals play dominoes, following precise rules. Well friends, thanks to those who read me. To all of you, I wish you a good beginning of the week. Best regards.