The game of checkers--or draughts--has origins in ancient Egypt and Greece. The game owes its popularity through the ages to its simplicity of rules and its variability of outcomes. Kids grasp the rules quickly, but adults enjoy playing the game over and over too. Checkers' availability increased as machine-made wooden pieces replaced hand-made discs in the later 19th century. Plastic game pieces in the 20th century made the playing of checkers even more widespread.