About The History Of Chess

What you regard as the origin of the modern "Western" chess game depends on how you define "origin." If you search for "similarity," you will deduce "India." But if you search for a steady progression of improvements and interchanging ideas, you will deduce "China."

Many scholars trace the origin of the modern-day "Western" chess game to a game that seems to have been invented in Punjab, a city of northern India. The game is called "Chatrang," invented it seems in 550 AD. From India we may trace very easily a clear track record of the game's popularity spreading to Persia (ancient Iran) and then to Arabia. The Arabs are credited with then bringing the game to Europe (around the 9th Century AD). And from there we have an excellent record of the game evolving further into its present form.

Interestingly though, we also have a very clear record of a chess game being introduced into Persia in the year 531 AD, from India, during the reign of Khusro I, Persian King Khusrau Nushirwan (Chosroe I Anushiravan) (531-579), nearly 20 years prior to Chatrang's supposed date of inception!!

Consequently we may now ask, "Why the near 20-year discrepancy?" If these ancient records are truly accurate, where did this earlier chess game come from?

The answer seems to be ... China.^* See Yutopian's The History of Xiangqi.

Chinese board games have a very lengthy history ... nearly four (4) millennia!! Many variations exist, including one sporting a General and five (5) Pawns, with victory defined by the capture of the General, a game called "Xiangqi." Other later variations of this game include some familiar pieces — Pawns, Knights, Bishops, Rooks, Advisors, Cannons and a King — providing us with a seemingly clear example of the interchange and acceptance of varying cultural ideas among some of our early, board game playing ancestors.

Moreover, Xiangqi was played in the actual millennium ahead of Chatrang's supposed date of "invention"!!

More than likely then, our Indian "inventor" in 550 AD learned about Xiangqi and modified it into a preferred form rather than "inventing" the game entirely on his own.

^*Digging even deeper into the past, there is evidence that an even earlier version may have been played in ancient Egypt!! Click here to learn more!

 

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