Phrase coined at the beginning of the nineteenth century, referring to the imperial competition between Britain and Russia over control of southern central Asia.
Thanks in part to Rudyard Kipling, mention of "The Great Game" conjured up images of dashing heroism in the wilds of the Afghanistan mountains. While this romanticism was certainly a part of the game, it was more often played by politicians in London and St. Petersburg than by adventurers in the steppe.
Bibliography
Fromkin, David. A Peace to End All Peace. New York: H. Holt, 1989.
— ZACHARY KARABELL
