The Great Game: Britain and Russia's Imperial Rivalry (opens in new tab)

The term ‘Great Game’ was coined in the 19th century by Arthur Connolly, a British officer and explorer, but became more widely used following its appearance in the 1901 novel Kim by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). The term refers to the relations between the British and Russian empires and their efforts to undermine each other and their respective alliances.