The History Of Chess
Introduction
The game of chess has a very long and interesting history. The board game has been played for thousands of years all over the world. Many different cultures around the world ancient and modern alike have played the game and have benefited from the many different lessons the game has to teach. One of the many facets of civilisation that has been improved and refined by its principles is the military.
It’s very likely that the inspiration for the invention of chess came from ancient warfare. In war it is essential to be able to use strategy and the side that conquers tends to be able to utilise strategy and effective planning to ultimately come out victorious. Chess is a game that can be very useful to cultivate the skills necessary to win a war. Many of the skills needed to win a war are the same skills needed to find success on the chess board which is one of the many reasons why in the past military men in need of a tool to help in refining these skills tended to gravitate towards chess and still do to this day.
The History Of Chess And The Military
The military faction in every country past and present have used the game to test current ways of thinking against other bright competitive minds and to develop and master strategies to implement in real life combat in order to accomplish their ultimate goal ,success on the battlefield. Although chess is great for testing plans against predictable factors in war things that can be seen and accounted for the large majority of war is unpredictable with luck and chance being a major deciding factor in the outcome most of the time.
There are many lessons in war that can be applied to general life to introduce strategy which can improve the quality of results of one’s life endeavours. There can be many lessons learned by implementing principles needed in the game of chess to find success in the game of life which has many parallels to chess. Well thought out methods and strategies are paramount to achieving success. Chess is such a game that can be of aid in the development of these skills and principles to foster growth and development in all other areas of life.
Chess has been played all over the world and many different cultures around the globe seem to love it. It’s clear that the further back through history we venture Chess and variations of it are ever present which makes one wonder how far back the game actually goes and for how long people have used the game as a means of finding entertainment and nurturing minds not to mention the evolution of the game and the reasons for its adaptations. The earliest recorded evidence of a variation of chess first being played is in ancient Egypt where it was called Senet it was used as a form of education and entertainment and was used in spiritual practices to help to bring about enlightenment.
The Relationship Between Ancient Egyptian Senet And Chess
The meaning of the word senet is “passing” and the aim of the game was to get your pieces to the other side of the board whilst avoiding hazards. The winner of the game would be the individual who could successfully get their pieces to the other side of the board whilst evading hazards. It’s easy to find parallels between the game of senet and life in general and the indulgence of such a game would indeed benefit the player by keeping their minds sharp and present. Being favoured by the gods was paramount to success and symbolically the winner of the game would be the first to pass into the afterlife whilst getting all of their pieces to the other side of the board.
The earliest recorded evidence of the existence of senet dates back to 2620 BCE from the mastaba (pyramid) of Hesy-Re and similar board games and hieroglyphic signs can be found in even deeper antiquity. Depictions of the board game can be found dating even further back in history to the first dynasty in Egypt around 3100 BCE. The first paintings of the game being played is from the third dynasty tomb of Hesy around 2686-2613 BCE.
There are paintings of people playing senet in an Egyptian rulers tomb called Rashepes ,there are also depictions of people playing senet in the fifth and sixth dynasties circa 2500 BCE. These may be the earliest depictions of a variation of chess in the world ,the roots of its origins but as with most things in life change and evolution is inevitable and chess and or the concept and principles of chess began to manifest and the next leg of the journey in the evolution and history of chess is India.
The History Of Chess In India
The closest version of chess called chaturanga was birthed in The Gupta Empire in north India and became prominent around the 6th century. Chaturanga means four divisions (of the military) the infantry ,the calvary ,the elephantry and the chariotry. These divisions are the early forms of the modern chess pieces we know today namely the pawn ,the horse ,the bishop and the castle. Just like in ancient Egypt there are similar mysteries surrounding the earliest known recordings around the utilisation of chess or chaturanga in India as there are arguments that the chariot in chaturanga or the castle in chess is one of the most powerful pieces on the board.
However chariots in India at this point in time had been obsolete for five to six centuries and so the theory is that chaturanga in its form as it was had to date back at least to a period in time where the usage of the chariot was much more prevalent in society to justify the use of it in the game. The response from critics is that although the use of chariots in warfare had become obsolete the use of chariots in literature still remained prominent. Unlike senet in ancient Egypt ,chaturanga and chess had stark differences in the rules of the gameplay. One of the main differences being the actual layout of the boards and the pieces.
Senet’s board consisted of thirty squares three by ten whereas chaturanga and chess has a sixty four square board eight by eight. It’s clear that by time senet had reached India major strides had been made in the fundamental evolution of chess. From the Gupta Empire scholars have followed the movement of chaturanga and have found evidence of chaturanga being played in the north and north western regions of India where the game came into contact with the Greek culture brought to them by the Greek-Macedonian army. Some of the rulers even issued coins fused with Greek and Indian imagery to symbolise the union of the two grand cultures brought together partly by their common interest in chess.
Some scholars argue that chess may have originated in the kingdom of Bactria circa 255 – 55 BC based on the Greek and Indian fused artwork showing short moving Greek men playing petteia or poleis with men obtained from the various moves in an Indian race game found in that time period. Other scholars speculate that the fusion may have taken place during the Kushan empire circa 50 – 200 AD and not only draws on Indian games but on the Chinese board game Liubo and Chinese and Babylonian divination methods. From India chess began to spread to the major continents of the world taking on different variations where ever it landed.
The History Of Chess In The Far East
Chess supposedly reaches the far East by way of travelling Buddhist pilgrims and traders on the silk road bringing it with them first to China and then Mongolia. In the east chess evolved into a game played with inscribed sticks and played on the intersection of the lines as opposed to within the squares in modern chess. In China the gameplay of chess took on a variation which included nine files and ten ranks as well as a boundary section in the middle of the board represented by a river between the fifth and sixth ranks. The Chinese variation of chess is called xiangqi and is one of the most popular board games in China up until present day.
It’s possible the Chinese have been playing chess or a variation of it long before their introduction to chaturanga or Indian chess. Xiangqi is said to have been invented during the warring states period in China by the leading generals of the day as a way to cultivate better battle formations and as a way to improve on the tactics that were currently being used in war. It’s clear that Chinese chess had a long rooted cultural source of inspiration for its adaptation which was found in xiangqi. China’s role in the history of chess may go just as far back as the Indians.
Some scholars have suggested Indian chess or chaturanga may have Chinese roots by way of earlier board games like Liubo and Chinese divination methods that predated chaturanga. China’s role in the history and development of chess is both ancient and instrumental in opening the doors for chess to make its way further east. Each country in the east has its own version of chess. The placement of the pieces on the chess board and the chess board layout are mostly similar in the east however the rules of the game varies in each of the countries.
Chess reaches Japan and Korea by the 11th century by way of the Chinese. The Koreans and the Japanese were most likely introduced to the Chinese version of chess xiangqi as opposed to the Indian version of chess chaturanga which would explain the similarities in the gameplay of chess in the east compared to the west. In the east the use of inscribed wooden or metallic pieces take the place of the carved characters found in the west and the game is often times played on the intersection of the lines as opposed to playing within the boxes which is the commonly accepted style of play in the west. The spreading of chess accelerates when it reaches Persia.
The History Of Chess In Persia And The Arabic Invasion
Chess was heavily regarded by the Persians as with most of the previously mentioned societies and was a major part of the education of the Persian nobility. The 7th century for the Persian empire was a time of major turmoil and strife. It was at this time the Persian empire was being invaded by the Rashidun Caliphate’s Moorish army while previously being engaged in a series of minor wars and major battles against the Byzantine Empire.
A Muslim army from North Africa led by Khalid Ibn Al Walid in 633 AD invaded Mesopotamia or the Sassanid province as it was called at the time marking the beginning of another decade long war this time against the Rashidun Caliphate’s Moorish army where they ultimately lost control of their kingdom. The dominant theory is that the Muslims were introduced to chess via their conquest of Persia where they learned of chess however there is little evidence to support the Persians having knowledge of chess or of chess being a popular pastime in Persia until after the Moorish invasion.
It’s possible the Muslims were introduced to chess at an earlier date. The Islamic worlds relationship with chess and their enthusiasm for conquest and the expansion of their empire created the perfect environment for the major distribution of chess globally due to the large reach of their empire at the time which rivalled the roman empire in size and power at the peak of their civilization . After the conquest of Persia the Moorish empire through the reach of their expansive empire which stretched from the Mediterranean to the far east and their drive to expand their empire and spread the word of Islam especially to their newly conquered lands in the Iberian peninsula or modern day southern Spain and Portugal paved the way for chess to find its way into Europe.
The History Of Chess In Europe
The structure and organisation of the Islamic world allowed for the smooth and efficient distribution of chess throughout the European world. The establishing of schools and universities in Spain and then throughout Europe provided a perfect method of getting chess to the European populace. In Europe the Islamic world and where ever their empire had in their reach were the only places a chess board could be found. It is said that the Muslims were some of the best chess players in the world and wherever they went they brought a chess board with them.
The Moorish invasion of the Iberian peninsula in 711 ad brought with it the spreading of knowledge throughout the Iberian peninsula in such a short space of time and chess being one of these things. Surprisingly by the year 1000 ad ,in less than three hundred years chess had spread throughout Europe. It’s clear that wherever the chess board has found itself it has been loved and adored for the most part. Even though the Islamic world adopted chess with enthusiasm during the early periods of their introduction to the game matters of chess and the legality of the game coinciding with Muslim law raised questions among Muslim theologians. Muslims considered chess a gambling game of the non-Arabs and had doubts as to whether chess violated the teachings of the Koran.
Ultimately the Muslim theologians after much thought and consideration came to the conclusion that chess did not violate the teachings of the prophet Muhammad and so gave the Islamic world the blessing to partake in the game of chess ,a decision that fundamentally allowed the dispersal of chess to the western world. The majority of the nobility of Europe much like the royals around the world took a liking to and were particularly interested in chess and were among the first to play the game in their kingdoms although there are some who would temporarily rule against it. Spain was the first European country to play chess and it was in Spain where chess took on its modern form. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain were dedicated chess players and Queen Isabella played a fundamental role in the way chess has evolved.
It is said that queen Isabella of Spain is the reason for the importance of the queen in modern day chess as a symbolic reminder of her prowess during the time of her reign. The introduction of chess to the western world brought with it the modernisation of chess and can account for the visual representation of the chess board we see today. The adaptation of the four major pieces and the introduction of the queen being among the main changes to chess sparked by the European world . The introduction of chess to Europe marks a clear line in the history of chess calling need for the separation of chess in terms of naming . It is when chess reaches Europe or Spain to be exact do we see the distinction between Classical chess and modern chess.
The changes were made to make the chess pieces and the rules of the game more relatable to the society at the time. In classical chess it is said that there was no queen and that the king was supported on the chess board by an advisor this piece moved diagonally like the bishop and one square at a time. The queen on the chess board at first replaced the kings counsellor and was limited in the moves permitted. In a collection of some of the oldest books in Spain on chess details an account of the dramatic shift in gameplay.
The book describes the agreed upon movement of the bishop piece at the time and also speaks of the introduction of the queen piece and the alteration of the game permitting the queen more freedom on the board. These changes marked the distinguishing line between old chess and queens chess or modern chess as we call it today and added an edge to the game allowing for more progress to be made in a short space of time depending on the skill of the player.
With the changes made a checkmate could now be delivered in as little as two moves. Although these alterations were made they were not widely accepted among all chess players. A lot of chess players continued playing traditional chess based on the original rules. The changes that were made took time to be generally accepted and the rules of the game varied depending on the region in which you lived. Arguments for and against the modification of chess being made to better reflect society have been ongoing since the 7th century. Arguments such as whether the chariot piece should still be utilised in chess or replaced for a newer piece more relatable to the then current way of life.
Conclusion
Chess has a both long and exciting history stretching all across the world. The origins of its creation as we see it today primarily lies in India with many cultures both before and after its creation playing a role in the distribution and modification of the game. It’s evident that chess has drawn inspiration from board games that came before it like senet in ancient Egypt and Chinese Liubo and divination practices as well as influences from cultures such as ancient Babylon. Overall the gameplay of chess has been modified throughout the years ,the underlying fundamental lessons of the game have hardly changed.
The game has been altered in the past to mimic the acceleration of and the changes in the technologies in society ultimately leading to the creation of 3D chess. Surely in the future there will be more alterations to the game as newer technologies are incorporated into our ever evolving society ushering in a need to reflect this growth in the way chess is played by either the changing or addition of extra pieces. The last time major changes were made to chess the world was going through a period of major transformation. We currently find ourselves in transformative times where major breakthroughs in all aspects of life are taking place more frequently possibly providing the right environment for the next adaptation of chess.
