Introduction
The history behind the invention of chess begins 1500 years ago in the Gupta Empire in India, which was a civilisation that was renowned for their advancements in subjects such as science, technology, art, literature, engineering, philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, logic as well as many other subjects including chess. Chess has an interesting history that spans the entire planet and that is shared with many countries around the world and the reasons for its invention may be the most interesting facet of the game. The story of the invention of chess has become a legend because of the ingenuity of the game and the ingenuity displayed by the inventor of chess. There are many powerful benefits that can be gained simply by playing chess and its unknown whether the inventor of chess had this in mind whilst developing chess which is a topic that’s been poorly covered.
Chess is one of the worlds most renowned board games as well as one of the oldest surviving board games that’s still played to this day. What is it about chess that has caused so many people around the world to adore this strategy game? I’m sure many people have questioned whether the tendency to love chess is a natural response to a game that has been so skilfully designed possibly by the gods themselves. Chess has come to be known as the game of kings and from the earliest times it has been one of the only board games to be associated with royalty and affluence. The story behind the creation of chess is as fascinating as its history which is rooted in mystery and speculation.
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Are The Legends Of The Creation Of Chess Based On A True Story?
The story behind the creation of chess begins in India 1500 years ago and there are numerous stories behind the creation of chess. There are tales that speak of chess being created by kings and wise men and some of the legends depict the gods as the source of invention which makes them even more interesting.
One of the most famous legends regarding the creation of chess has its roots in the Gupta Empire in India. The legend has it that the inventor of chess was an Indian king named King Ravanna of India who is mentioned in the Hindu epic the Ramayana and who is described as a demon king. The story states that chess was created by King Ravanna as a gift to his wife, Manda Dari who was said to be an excellent chess player who even managed to beat King Ravanna at his own creation. The invention of chess in this story was for the purpose of developing a means for King Ravanna to spend more quality time with his wife Manda Dari.
Another famous legend regarding the creation of chess also has its roots in India, the birthplace of modern-day chess. This legend speaks of the inventor of chess being an ancient Indian sage named Sissa Ibn Dahir who was commanded to create a means of entertainment for king Balhait/Shahram/Ladava from the kingdom of Taligana which was a province in present day north India to replace the spilling of blood on the battlefield although some variations of the legend states that it was purely for educational purposes. The king needed a replacement for a lust of bloodshed and instead of swords, shields, and armour for war the chess board was created. The king was infatuated with chess, and it did indeed quench his thirst for war. The king summoned the sage to a game of chess and even wagered on the sage’s ability to beat him at chess.
The sage agreed to the wager but wanted a grain of rice to be paid to him instead of gold if he won. The king laughed at the sage’s proposal and agreed without fully understanding the implications of the agreement. The sage explained to the king that he wanted a grain of rice on the first square of the chess board and for that amount to be doubled on each following square on the chess board. The sage in effect wanted a grain of rice in payment that would increase in size at an exponential rate. The king not fully understanding the implications of the size of the payment if unsuccessful against the sage agreed to the terms and proceeded to play.
After a well-played game against the king the sage ultimately won the game and requested immediate payment from the king as agreed. The king proceeded to count the grains of rice and was stunned to see the growth of the rice as the amount of rice doubled on each following square. Initially the number of grains of rice the king had to pay to the sage seemed practical but as the grains of rice overflowed on chess board the king began to see the errors in his calculations. The amount of rice needed to satisfy the payment to the sage numbered in the trillions and there were doubts as to whether there were even enough grains of rice on the planet to satisfy the payment. The sage had bankrupted the king with his ingenious proposal for a grain of rice that doubles on each square as payment for winning a game of chess.
The king admitted to the sage that he would be unable to make the payment for the full amount and as the king explained this to the sage, the sage unveiled himself as the god Krishna. Krishna, seeing how distraught the king was about his predicament explained to the king that the payment need not be paid in full at once and that he would be able to pay off his debts in increments. The king agreed and from that day forth the king began to serve dishes of Paal Payasam (a sweet rice dish) to all the pilgrims that travelled through his kingdom until the debt was cleared.
The last infamous tale regarding the creation of chess speaks of chess being created to reconstruct the scenes on the battlefield to the grieving mother of a prince that was killed in battle. This legend also has its roots in India and is the story of an Indian prince who lost his brother during a war and when asked by his mother of the events that lead to the death of his brother presented her a chess board to illustrate the details of the assault. In this story the creation of chess was solely for the purpose of reconstructing the events leading to the death of a royal prince.
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What Is The Story Behind Chess?
The story behind chess is as diverse as its history that extends around the world. There are many legends that claim to be the true story of the creation of chess however due to the sheer age of the game much has been lost in terms of the details of its creation which has led to many myths and legends taking the place of the facts that can be corroborated by hard evidence.
As with any story that has had to stand the test of time and much like the familiar game of Chinese whispers the story of the creation of chess has taken on many variations just within India not to mention the stories that have been told regarding the creation of chess around the world. There are theories that speculate that Persia, China, Greece, Rome and Arabia could also be the possible birthplace of chess which further adds to the mystery of the origins of chess. This makes it difficult to accurately pinpoint the true location of the creation of chess. Although there are many stories that claim to be the original creation story of chess it is likely that the truth lies somewhere in between the stories that have been told regarding the history of chess. According to the legends mentioned previously the creators of chess were all wise kings although the reasoning behind the creation of chess differs with each story. Much like the birthplace of chess the actual reasoning behind the creation of chess remains a mystery, however, it is likely that the inventor of chess according to the most popular legends is someone who was of Indian descent, of royal blood and extremely wise to say the least.
Ancient Egypt or Kemet is the oldest civilisation that had a board game that closely resembled chess which the Ancient Egyptians called Senet and some scholars and historians speculate that Ancient Egypt could also be the possible birthplace of chess although Senet is much different than modern chess as we know it today. The earliest recorded evidence of the existence of Senet in Ancient Egypt dates back to 2620 BCE and there is a long period of time between the first recorded evidence of Senet in Ancient Egypt and the emergence of Chaturanga in India in the 6th century. Although there is a lack of concrete evidence that suggests that there is any connection between the two board games both Senet and Chaturanga share many features such as the similarities in how they were played and their cultural and spiritual significance in their countries. Chaturanga shares the most similarities with Shatranj which is the Persian version of Chaturanga. The introduction of chess into Persia from India took place within a century where it evolved into Shatranj with the modification of the rules of Chaturanga and the addition of an extra game piece. It’s likely that throughout the ages Senet evolved into Chaturanga and then into Shatranj and then into modern chess when the Moors invaded Europe in the 8th century.
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What Is The Purpose Of Chess?
The purpose of chess is multi-faceted and through examining the stories mentioned regarding the reasoning behind the creation of chess it is difficult to determine the purpose of chess or what the creator’s intentions were. The general purpose of chess today is to provide a means of entertainment however within the actual playing of chess the brain is trained and developed which could be a reason for its creation, to develop the mind.
Chess and the different variations of it have been played for many different purposes from entertainment to recreating the scenes of a battle. The purpose of chess, like the story of its creation remains a mystery although the benefits of playing chess and the enjoyment that comes from playing chess is shared all over the world which makes it easy to find at least a few possible reasons for the creation of the much-loved board game we call chess. Aside from being a great gift chess can stimulate and develop high level thought processes in the brain which is a feat that is not shared by many other games. Chess is seen as more than just a pastime in many countries and is studied as a subject in schools in countries such as Armenia and Russia as a way of developing the minds of children. The impacts chess can have on younger children when played from an early age and throughout adulthood is very impressive and because of this chess should be looked at as a long-term self-development tool. There are numerous theories that attempt to explain the possible reasons for the creation of chess however most of the advantages of playing chess is self-evident which are also likely to be the very purpose of the creation of chess unless there is an encrypted message within chess that has yet to be deciphered.
The most common theories regarding the purpose of chess are for military training, as a symbolic representation of social hierarchies and cosmic principles, as an intellectual pastime for nobles and aristocrats and as a gift that can be given during cultural exchanges with other civilisations. Chess is an excellent tool for military training which accurately portrays some of the most important figures that played a key role in ancient warfare, and which can help players to develop a strategically oriented mind. One of the legends that describe the creation of chess state that chess was created to simulate the scenes of a battle. Chess also accurately depicts many of the key figures from ancient and medieval societies such as the kings, queens, the cavalry of an army which are depicted as the knights on the chess board, religious personalities which are depicted as the bishops, the rooks which represent the castles and which played an essential role in housing the nobles and as a fortress in times of war and the soldiers which are depicted as pawns. During the Middle Ages chess was thought to have hidden messages within it that could help to explain some of the mysteries of the universe which historians such as Richard Eales explains in his book “Chess, The History of a Game”. One of the main legends regarding the purpose of chess and a reason for its creation was to provide a means of entertainment for an ancient Indian King with a thirst for bloodshed and to replace the spilling of blood on the battlefield with a peaceful but war related game.
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Why Is Chess So Addictive?
Winning a chess game is just like winning or finding enjoyment in any activity because it signals the brain to release dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that is produced in the brain that when released produces a feeling of joy and well-being. This feeling can become very addictive as your brain and body notices and welcomes this feeling by attempting to repeat whatever actions triggered the release of this chemical.
Whether the inventors of chess meant for it to be so addictive through design is not known however the effects of winning a chess game can be felt throughout your whole body. Unlike many other unhealthy and distracting pastimes, directing your attention on playing chess can improve your focus and overall mental wellbeing. Incorporating chess into your daily routine will provide many health benefits in the short term but the major health benefits will be seen and felt over longer periods of time. Winning a chess game is much like winning any challenging game that is perceived as important, achieving any significant goal, or fulfilling any important dream in that it can trigger the release of dopamine in the brain and into the bloodstream which produces a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction that can be addictive to a certain degree. As chess can be a challenging game to understand and eventually master winning chess games can lead to feelings of greater satisfaction and accomplishment which can trigger the release of greater amounts of dopamine under certain circumstances such as if a player is able to defeat a formidable opponent after investing a significant amount of time and effort studying the game.
Chess can be especially addictive for individuals with a tendency to engage in and enjoy mentally stimulating and challenging activities as they are more likely to receive greater levels of satisfaction and accomplishment from playing chess. Individuals that are less inclined to enjoy and engage in mentally challenging activities are also less likely to want to play chess and as a result are less likely to become addicted to playing chess. Chess can also be addictive for individuals who enjoy competitive sports and games, problem solving, outwitting opponents, formulating plans, and implementing strategies. Historically playing chess required you to be in close proximity to an opponent however with the advent of online chess platforms it’s possible to play chess in various time formats with anyone, anywhere in the world in seclusion and dedicate more time to the game. Mastering chess requires dedicating an immense amount of time and effort towards understanding the game which may seem like an unhealthy obsession or addiction from another’s perspective. It’s possible that the creator or creators of chess designed it in such a way that it would inspire the player with an appetite for mental challenges to allocate a significant amount of time towards the development of the mind whilst simultaneously being entertained.
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Conclusion
The reasons for the creation of chess varies just in India and even more so as you travel around the world. One of the main reasons why there are so many stories surrounding the creation of chess is undoubtedly due to the length of time that has gone by since chess’ introduction to the world. As chess is one of the oldest board games in the world there has been a lot of time for the truth to be altered which has resulted in the creation of several versions of the origin story of chess. Even though there are many theories surrounding the location of the birthplace of chess and the reasons for its creation, what is certain is that chess has many more untold secrets regarding its creation.
