The cribbage board is a familiar artifact. Usually, it's an unassuming plank of wood dotted with three winding tracks of small holes. Beneath, there is a hidden compartment for a set of coloured pegs.

On Friday nights, I pray to the cribbage gods. If you've never heard of cribbage, you're not alone. Until two years ago it was something I'd never played, a game I vaguely associated with my ...