In 1005 al-hakim of Egypt banned chess and had all chess sets burned.Īround 1013 chess was brought to England with the Danish invasion. In 875 the famous knight's tour was reference in the Sanskrit writing, KAVYALANKARA, by Rudrata.Īround 920 the chess pieces were all given Persian names. The abstract piece designs became more representative.Īround 820 chess was introduced in Russia through the Caspian-Volga trade route. Charles Martel (688-741) introduced living chess around 735 with humans acting out the chess moves on a large board (10 x11).Īround 780 the Moorish invaders of Spain introduced chess to a large part of Western Europe. In 720 the first literary reference to chess in Arabic appeared.

Moorish invaders brought chess with them and it spread throughout Iberia. In 712 Seville, Spain was conquered by the Arabs. The Moslems spread the game to Europe where it persisted until 14th century. Interestingly, the Japanese allow captured pieces to change sides and rejoin the game against their old army at any vacant spot on the board. Under his caliphate, the golden age of shatranj began. He granted pensions to the best chess players of his day. ar-Rashid is allegedly the first of his dynasty to play and sponsor chess. There are some references that in 800 Byzantium Emperor Nicephorus and the fourth Abbasid caliph, Harun ar-Rashid (763-809) of Baghdad, conducted a chess game by correspondence. The game is played on a 9x9 uncheckered board with 20 pieces. Through Korea chess reached Japan around 800, taking the name Shogi (the Generals Game). The moves today are identical to the original Hindu chess moves. Before any movement begins, the major pieces are located anywhere behind the pawns according to the tactical discretion of the individual player. The Burmese start their game with the Kingside pawns on the third rank and the Queenside pawns on the fourth rank. In order to play the game without undue risk of life, Chinese players demoted the piece on the board. In China, the King is called the general because once a Chinese emperor was so insulted at seeing a figure of himself in a lowly game that he had the players executed. Their version only has five pawns to a side, but adds two cannons ahead of knights and a counselor on either side of the King. In Chinese chess, the pieces are placed on the intersections of the lines rather than on the squares and a celestial river, akin to no man's land, was added between halves on the 9 x10 board. Chess was probbably introduced to China by Buddhists who traveled from India to further their religion or escape persecution. The design of pieces become more abstract or nonrepresentational because of Muslim pratice banning the worship of images.Īround 800 the first reference to chinese chess (xiangqi) appeared in the HUAN KWAI LU (Book of marvels). After the official decision that there was no harm in chess, the Moslems created a greatly detailed literature about it. This decision took about 100 years and illustrates the curious power of a simple game. Chess become very popular after their theologians decided that chess playing wasn't contrary to the teachings of Mohammed. Many worried chess would be banned by the 'Qur'an' an Islamic law banning gambling. The Persian empire fell to the Moslems in the 7th century. Jubair was later condemned to death for his part in a revolt. Earlier blindfold players continued to feel the pieces while playing blindfold. He became the first blindfold player to turn his back on the board and play without sight of the board. It served as a surrogate for noblity with no actual enemies to fight.Īround 700, Sa'id bin Jubair (665-714), a black African judge who lived in the Middle East, became famous for his ablity to play blindfold chess. The game was claimed to be used to educate Persian princes.

Indian rules varied greatly from place to place, and as is spread Eastward the rules were altered to suit local tastes. There were no light and dark squares like we see in today's chess board for 1,000 years 'Ashtapada' Sanskrit for spider -'a legendary being with eight legs' was played with dice on an 8x8 checkered board.

The four divisions of an army: five foot soldiers, three cavalry, one chariot, one elephant Persian poem in 600 AD describes chess coming to Persia (Iran) from Indiaįirst called: 'Chaturanga' - a Sanskrit word translated as '4 limbed' or '4 parts'

What are the name of chess pieces