![]() ![]() (Source: Pinterest)Īccording to a folklore, a royal physician named Barzuya brought chess to Iran during the reign of king Khosrow. The Medieval History of Chess Chess in Iran: Chatranj An illustration from the “A treatise on chess”. Later, over the next centuries, ashtapada became the modern chess board, and Chaturanga became chess. In that century, Chaturanga found its gameboard of 8✖8 grid squares called ashtapada. In spite of that, we consider the 6th AD as the birth era of chess. The names of the pieces are: Modern PiecesĪs mentioned in Arthashastra, Chaturanga was already a popular game amongst the masses during the 4th century AD. The pieces had different powers, and victory solely depended on a single piece–the king. Unlike the previous board games, this one bore resemblance in terms of rules and power dynamics of the pieces. However, the maximum credit as the predecessor of chess goes to the board game named Chaturanga. In India, chess developed from various race games and dice games, such as Thayyam and Chaupar. Perhaps, chess was around in India decades centuries before the Greeks arrived. Many historians claim it was the Greeks-Alexander and his army-who introduced chess in India while invading in 326 BC.īut the archaeological findings in Lothal, the Harappan port town, say otherwise. The latest discovery proves that the Harappan civilization played chess in the 26th BCE.Ĭhess was a popular game by 1st century AD in India. When was Chess Invented in India? Chess in 26th BCEĪs I have mentioned above, there is evidence that chess was invented in 26th BCE. The board is marked with a grid of squares, where the player advances their pieces and tries to capture the pieces with the opposite color.Īs you can see, the board, pieces, and the manner of the game clearly say that Petteia is one of the ancestors of chess. ![]() In this game, the players sit facing each other with the rectangular board in between them. It’s an ancient Greek game involving two players with equal numbers of pieces. In the above, you’re looking at a Greek statuette group playing a chess-like game Petteia. If you look at it attentively, the grid-squares and the pieces show striking resemblance with modern chess. And, the board and the pieces were made with similar materials–ivory and shell. In the above painting, you are looking at Queen Nefertari playing a chess-like game, Senet, in the 14th century BCE. Look at the above picture and there’s another unbelievable answer to how long chess has been around. Therefore, undoubtedly, the Lothal gamesmen and gameboards are the ancestors of modern-day chess. However, the grid squares bear similarities with modern boards. The ancient chessboard of Harappan civilization was a mere flat surface on rock or stone, as you can see in the picture. These gamesmen prove that chess has been around since 26th BCE.Īlthough the pieces are unbelievably similar, the modern chessboard and the ancient gameboard are quite different. ![]() On the right side are the modern gamesmen of chess.īoth of these are set together to understand the uncanny resemblance. In this picture, on the left side are the gamesmen found during archaeological excavations in Lothal. There are gamesmen and pieces that resemble modern chess. There are several findings dating from the 26th BCE that strongly counters the existing history of chess. However, according to a report of the Archaeological Survey of India, it originated in 26 BCE. Indeed, the answer to how long has chess been around is debatable. Conclusion Ancient History of Chess | How long chess has been around ![]()
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