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Who Invented Chess

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So, how did modern Chess evolve?

More to the point: "Who Invented Chess?" ... Hmmm ...

It's probably difficult to know precisely who made the first attempts at developing this game of strategy and tactics - but, as it's steeped in war and battle ...

... And, together with piece characters like the King, the Queen, Knights and Bishops, together with castle towers (Rooks) and the common foot soldiers (Pawns) ...

... It's likely to be someone - or a group of people - whose life was closely linked to both nobility and the military.

To get closer to the answer, let's start with where we're at today and work backwards, with what historical records have compiled ...

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To anyone interested in the game as a Sport, it won't be long before you start looking to see who are the best players in the World.

With any competitive sport, you'll usually find some sort of World Championship, where only the top players compete until either a team or individual is crowned as the best of the best.

And, Chess is no different.

So, why 1924? Well, that's the year that the current World governing body, for international Chess - FIDE - was formed.

Since FIDE's inception, there have been 13 Undisputed World Champions (beginning with most recent and working backwards):

• Viswanathan Anand | India | 2007 - present
• Vladimir Kramnik | Russia | 2006 - 2007
• Garry Kasparov | Russia & USSR (Azerbaijan) | 1985 - 1993
• Anatoly Karpov | USSR (Russia) | 1975 - 1985
• Bobby Fischer | USA | 1972 - 1975
• Boris Spassky | USSR (Russia) | 1969 - 1972
• Tigran Petrosian | USSR (Armenia) | 1963 - 1969
• Mikhail Tal | USSR (Latvia) | 1960 - 1961
• Vasily Smyslov | USSR (Russia) | 1957 - 1958
• Mikhail Botvinnik | USSR (Russia) | 1948 - 1957, 1958 - 1960, 1961 1963
• Max Euwe | Netherlands | 1935 - 1937
• Alexander Alekhine | France & Russia | 1927 - 1935, *1937 - 1946
• Jose Raul Capablanca | Cuba | 1924 - 1927

(Reference: World Chess Championship)

* Alexander Alekhine emigrated to Russia and played under the Soviet flag, where he continued his winning streak during 1937 to 1946.

So, that takes us back to 1924 ... but, competitive Chess - played as a sport - had been on the go much earlier; certainly, long before FIDE came into existence.

Read on, as we continue to piece together Who Invented Chess ...

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The last World Chess Champion mentioned was Jose Raul Capablanca ... He was actually Undisputed Champion for 3 years, prior to FIDE being established.

Capablanca took over the title in 1921, by beating former World Champion, Emanuel Lasker (from Germany).

In turn, Lasker took the crown, in 1894, from the Austro-Hungarian born Wilhelm Steinitz, who is on the list as being first Undisputed World Chess Champion, of the modern game.

Steinitz began his reign in 1886 and, similar to Alekhine, also emigrated and ended up representing his new-home country, the USA.

According to this article, prior to Steinitz's victory, in 1886, all previous World Chess Championships weren't regarded as official sporting events.

But, that doesn't mean there weren't any official Chess Tournaments at all. It is believed that the first Chess Tournament, played by the rules of the modern game, was held in London in 1851 and won by a relatively unknown German, Adolf Anderssen.

Another notable player of this period was the United States player, Paul Morphy (1858 - 1862); while Englishman, Howard Staunton (1843 - 1851), spanned the period as Chess merged into more of a competitive sport.

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Prior to Adolf Anderssen's 1851 win in London, was about the period when the modern game, with the rules as we know them today, was just starting to emerge.

As the early 1800s evolved, a variety of Chess Clubs, books on Chess, as well as Chess Journals appeared, all of which helped to swiftly organize competitive Chess.

As mentioned, Howard Staunton, from England, was regarded as the best Chess Master between 1843 - 1851. England, with the focal point being London, also happened to be considered as the epicenter of the Chess movement from around this time.

Prior to London, it was deemed to be the French capital, Paris, that was the heartbeat of all things Chess. Judging by the leading Chess Masters, during the period of 1800 - 1850, you can see this pattern emerging between country domination and leading players:

• Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-Amant | France | 1840 - 1843
• Alexander McDonnell | Northern Ireland | 1834
• Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais | France | 1821 - 1840
• Alexandre Deschapelles | France | 1815 - 1821
• Jacob Henry Sarrat | England | 1805 - 1815

Furtherback we go, as our trail, to find out Who Invented Chess, continues ...

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Since the early 1800s, there have been more exact records of who was the dominant player of a certain period.

However, moving back before then, into the late 1700s and earlier, the actual periods of dominance, for the leading players, is ever more a rough estimate, which makes nailing down the one person or group, who invented Chess, a little less precise, but we can at least get a near-enough answer ...

As you look backwards into the 1700s and further towards the 1500s, you can see the pattern continue, with the leading players beginning to retract down, back through France ...

Along the way, there was a break in the pattern with reports of a Scotsman making a name for himself, while a brief period of dominance occurred in the Austrian Empire ...

Then the game appears to retract further downwards, towards Italy and surrounding Kingdoms of that time (notably Naples and Sicily, respectively).

The leading Chess players of this period - from most recent, to earliest - highlight where the spread of Chess popularity was, at the time:

• Verdoni | Italy & France | 1795 - 1804
• Johann Baptist Allgaier | Austrian Empire | 1795 - 1815
• Francois-Andre Danican Philidor | France | 1745 - 1795
• Legall de Kermeur | France | 1730 - 1745
• Alexander Cunningham of Block | Scotland | 1700
• Pietro Carrera | Kingdom of Sicily | 1640
• Gioachino Greco | Kingdom of Naples | 1620 - 1634
• Alessandro Salvio | Kingdom of Naples | 1600
• Giulio Polerio | Kingdom of Naples | 1580
• Paolo Boi | Kingdom of Sicily | 1575
• Leonardo da Cutri | Kingdom of Naples | 1575

Continue, once more through the ages, as we get ever-closer to the source, in our quest to discover Who Invented Chess ...

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It's interesting to note that, between 1575 and 1475, notable Chess players appear to be focussed around the Iberian peninsula of Spain and Portugal ...

• El Morro | Portugal | 1560 - 1575
• Ruy Lopez de Segura | Spain | 1559 - 1575
• Pedro Damiano | Portugal | 1520
• Luis Ramirez de Lucena | Spain | 1490
• Francesc Vicent | Spain | 1475
• Bernat Fenollar | Spain | 1475
• Narcís Vinyoles | Spain | 1475
• Franci de Castellví | Spain | 1475

From what we've read so far, it's likely that it was someone from either Spain or Portugal who invented Chess, from where it spread outwards to France, then Italy and out through eastern Europe, while also reaching up to England from France.

In fact, if you read the entry about Francesc Vicent, of Spain, it is he who is considered to be the founder of the modern game of Chess.

Another worthy side-note is that of fellow Spaniard, Ruy Lopez de Segura ... He definitely had a huge influence on the game, to such an extent that his name is honored in the documented Chess Opening: The Ruy Lopez - a sequence that has spawned a vast number of variations (see here).

Reports appear to suggest that a game called Shatranj, with rules that form the underpinnings of Chess (as it was in the 1400s), made its way into Spain during the 900s (10^th Century).

More on that in the next section, as we continue to discover who invented Chess, but it's believed that during the 1200s, the rules of Shatranj were slightly modified in southern Europe.

Given that the earliest known leading Chess players - between 1475 and 1575 - were located in either Spain and Portugal, it appears even more likely that a major contribution, in terms of development of the modern game of Chess, came from the Spaniards and Portuguese around the time of the 1200s.

But, if the modern game of Chess is a modification of Shatranj, then surely the originators of modern Chess owe a lot to whoever developed Shatranj?

So, when it comes to "Who Invented Chess?", it needs to be asked: "Who Invented Shatranj?"

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Shatranj, believed to be the forerunner to modern Chess, reached southern Spain during the 900s, brought in from Northern Africa by Black African and Arab descendants, collectively known as the Moors.

Shatranj was the game known by the Muslim population, but the name was a re-branding effort after the Islamic conquest of Persia during the period between 633 and 644.

The game the Muslims had adopted was known by the Sassanid Persians as Chatrang.

But the trail appears to go slightly further back - or should that be further east - to Sassanid Persia's neighbours: North-West India, part of which is now Pakistan.

It is widely believed that the true origin of Chatrang was India, during the Gupta Empire, which ruled between the years AD 320 to AD 600.

Those living in the Gupta era knew the game as Chaturanga, which in the classical Indian language of Sanskrit means "divided into four parts" or, in military terms, "four divisions".

At the time, Chaturanga was the term used to describe a platoon of the Indian army, which was divided into four parts/divisions:

• Elephant Division
• Chariot Division
• Horseback Division
• Foot-soldier Division

We can probably assume the Foot-soldier Division is what we, today, know as Pawns - every army, throughout history and even in today's modern warfare, had its fare share of 'expendable' soldiers, to do the ruler's dirty work.

The Horseback Division is now represented by the Knights - who fought bravely for King and country, in the days of honor and chivalry.

As for the Elephant Division, they're the pieces that we now call the Bishops ... You see, when the game of Chess swept up to Europe, most Europeans had never seen an Elephant, so the piece would have little meaning. Some other symbolic presence was required.

As the Church was a significant power - albeit a minor one - it was likely deemed that religion should have some figurehead, on the Board ...

Furthermore, the carved piece, representing the Elephant Division, had a peak that some referred to as being like the cap - the Mitre - as worn by Bishops. And so, the Elephant Division got its marching orders, in favor of the God botherer.

While the outright rulers, of the period, were the Royalty, their counsel of advisors often featured representatives of the Church. This helps explain the positioning, on the Chess Board, of the Bishops - they were seen as being significant, but in a minor capacity, compared to the King and Queen, respectively - and so, were placed on the outside of the two Royal Chess pieces.

Lastly, the Chariot Division was to be replaced by the Rook. Remember, on its journey from India, where Chess started life as Chaturanga, the game then spread to Persia ...

With the Persian word for Chariot being "rokh", that probably settles the name; with "Rook" being the word the Europeans cobbled-together, in translation.

As for the Rook piece taking on the form of a Castle's Turret, it's likely to be owing to battles taking place against a King in his Castle ...

Upon the tower, at the top of the Turret, the King's army would have placed seige cannons to blast out at the enemy, who held back at a distance - hence, the long-range power of the Rook Chess Piece.

It all kind of fits together, now, doesn't it?

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Conclusion

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So, when it comes to Who Invented Chess, current history suggests elements of the Gupta Empire, of India, during the 6th Century are responsible for developing a game that, over the next 1500 years, became the game of Chess, as we know it today.

Kind of appropriate then, that, as I write this, the current, Undisputed World Chess Champion, is Viswanathan Anand ... of India.

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Who Invented Chess ... Read More At Wikipedia

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