How Many Miles to Babylon? In the 1824 edition of "The Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia" there's a description of the rhyme and the game, giving the distance as "six, seven or a lang eight". The rhyme was originally accompanied by a singing game in which two lines face each other, with one player in the middle. At the end of the rhyme the players have to cross the space and any caught help the original player in the middle catch the others. The game seems to have fallen out of use in the twentieth century. In literature In film In music How Many Miles to Babylon?
Hridayeshwar Singh Bhati can play. Bhati's multiplayer design employs all the standard chess pieces and their moves. Individual armies are distinguished by colour. Each player starts the game with the same number and types of pieces as in standard chess. Non-pawn pieces start in their normal positions on the (the 8×1 extensions at the board perimeter), with queens always placed to the left of kings. Pawns are placed on the rank in front of the pieces as in standard chess. Red squares cannot be occupied or passed through when moving or capturing. The multicoloured central area can be passed through but not occupied.