In India, there are uncited claims that the most ancient board games would date back to BC 3500 in the time of legendary Ruler King Bharata.
Noted writer and translator Gilles Schaufelberger lists Sanskrit words for board and dice games from ancient India (based on Heinrich Lüders' work).
"[2] Culin found evidence for a Nyout-like game existing in China in the 3rd century AD,[3] though this does not seem to be accepted by H. J. R.
[5] Although frequently encountered among the native tribes of North America (particularly as a "quartered circle" design) these boards were not made of durable materials, so generally the writings and collections of European-Americans constitute their earliest attestations.
[6] He quotes, for example, an "account of the Zuñi War Gods" which explicitly links divination, the 4 quarters of the earth, and games.