General Chess: History of Chess

If there is one game that has stood the test of time and technology over the past few centuries, it has to be Chess only. The reason for this is that this fascinating game needs thinking to the core and there is no room for chance or luck in this game. Chess has withstood the time because it has been beneficial to the mind and a stimulant to the mind. The beauty of this game is that it is not just a mind game. It involves both intuition and logical thinking as well. In a nutshell, chess is a battle between Intuition Vs. Logic. Before dwelling about the game of chess and various elements of chess, let us dwell a bit on the history of the game.

Chess is an ancient game still being played by many people. It is estimated that in the United States alone, there are 39 million chess players. Chess tournaments are very popular, and a chess Grand Master can have as much notoriety as a sports star or political leader. For a game whose pieces are remnants of an ancient way of life, the game itself remains very popular in the modern world. Chess. Truly a game for the ages.

It has been found that the game, which we now call as Chess, goes so far back into the murky dimness of history that no one is really sure about the specifics of its origin. But scholars generally believe that Chess originated in what are now Northern India and Afghanistan. The oldest written reference to Chess is circa 600 in India. Ironically the name of this game then was not Chess but Satranj or Chaturang.

From ancient India the game spread to Persia (present day Iran). Tradition has it that a Hindu ambassador brought a chess set to the ruler of Persia in the 6th century. With the rise of Islam, the game was spread to the Arabs, who in turn spread the game to Byzantium.

Whenever a culture discovered the game, the game changed. An example of this was the re-naming of the pieces. In India, the most important piece was called the Rajah, in Persia it was called the Shah, in the Arab world it was called the Caliph, and in Europe it was called the King. Although many other pieces were added or removed from the game over time, the most important piece has always been the ruling piece, whether it has been called Rajah, Shah, Caliph or King.

The game variant that is most well known in the western world came from Persia to the main trade routes of Spain and Italy around 1000 AD. The game that we know today spread all over Europe, and by 1400 AD was well established and being played under most of the rules that still apply to the game today.

The first international chess tournament was held in London in 1851. This first tournament was not officially sanctioned, so the winner of it, a German named Adolf Anderssen, was known unofficially as the world's best chess player. It was not until 1866 that the first official international chess tournament was held, also in London. Wilhelm Steinitz from Bohemia won this tournament, and was the first official World Chess Champion.