Klotski is an ancient Polish game that provides mathematical
problems in the form of a small wooden game board with
various sized blocks. Developed in Poland by an artist and
mathematician, the computer game Klotski is patterned after
the ancient original game, which in Polish is called
Klocki, or blocks. The blocks on the original game board
could be arranged into puzzles in which a master block had
to be freed to solve the puzzle. The object of the computer
game is to free the master block, in as few moves as
possible.
With these words ZH Computer described the concept of
their game Klotski (a spelling of klocki that will cause most
non-Slavs to pronounce it correctly), which was included in the
Microsoft Entertainment Pack for Windows,
ensuring wide circulation and making the concept well known.
Actually, the Polish origin of the game is doubtful. It first entered
written history when Lewis W. Hardy obtained copyright for an identical
game under the name Pennant Puzzle in 1909. It is known in several
countries under completely different names:
- L'âne rouge (red donkey) in France
- Hakoiri musume (daughter in the box) in Japan
- Hua Rong Dao (after a historic legend) in China
- Khun Chang Khun Phaen (after a national legend of the same name, with
slightly different layout) in Thailand
However, there seems to be no evidence before 1909 anywhere.
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