| The game of chess has a long history. Though | | | | that time. There are even partial sets and |
| known and played all over the world, chess is | | | | pieces dating from that period to support its |
| supposed to have been born in India around | | | | existence. The Einsiedeln Poem, also known as |
| 5000 years ago. The birth place of this | | | | "Versus de scachis", written in 1000 A.D. |
| amazing game was identified by a few early | | | | describes in its 98 lines the game of chess, |
| chess historians like Sir William Jones who | | | | the rules by which to play chess and a few |
| wrote in 1763 the poem "Caissa" and in 1790 | | | | strategies. The way the pieces were named and |
| the paper "On the Indian game of Chess" and | | | | the rules that were used to play chess show |
| like Duncan Forbes who published "The history | | | | that the game's ancestor was the game of |
| of Chess" in 1860. The problem with the | | | | Shatranj. Chess arrived in Europe, in the |
| origins of chess is that, no full set of | | | | Balkans in the time of the Byzantine Empire |
| pieces was discovered dating from that period | | | | and up the Volga river trade route in Russia |
| of time. Some artifacts that archeologists | | | | and Scandinavia, when Italy and Spain were |
| identified as chess pieces might have served | | | | conquered. The popularity of the game |
| a different purpose than the one we suppose - | | | | increased due to the interest of the nobility |
| for the game of chess. H.J.R. Murray | | | | and of the upper classes. |
| published in 1913 the 900 page book called | | | | |
| "History of Chess" which is a complete work | | | | At the end of the 15th century a lot of |
| based on 14 years or research by using | | | | improvements were made to the game of chess |
| translations made by specialists of original | | | | by enhancing the power of some pieces, making |
| documents from the best chess libraries. He | | | | the new game be more well-liked than the old |
| underlined the fact that there is no physical | | | | one, making most people that were accustomed |
| evidence or document to demonstrate the | | | | to play chess adopt the newer version and set |
| existence of chess anywhere in the world for | | | | aside the old one within just a few decades. |
| the period before the seventh century BC. | | | | The game earned its name - the Game of Kings |
| | | | - partially because crowned heads like Henry |
| The earliest version that some believe to be | | | | IV, Louis XIII, Elisabeth I, James I, Charles |
| the ancestor of chess was the Indian | | | | I and many others used to love to play chess. |
| Chaturanga - a game that was played by four | | | | |
| persons and which used dices dating as far | | | | In the 19th century, in London, everybody |
| back as 3000 BC. But Murray showed that this | | | | could play chess. A lot of clubs were brought |
| version came after the two player version. | | | | into being because of the popularity of the |
| The time of the Persian Empire sets the bases | | | | game. Parsloe's was among the first chess |
| of Chatrang as a game invented after a war | | | | clubs ever born in England and it was also |
| between the two sons of a Queen, by the | | | | the place where Frenchman Philidor used to |
| writings in the "Book of Kings" and the "Book | | | | amaze the public with exhibitions of 2-3 |
| of Deeds". | | | | simultaneous blindfold games. There were a |
| | | | lot of matches between the English and the |
| Until 656, the Persian Empire was conquered | | | | French, but many other countries soon |
| by the Moslem Empire. This was the time when | | | | developed great players, like Germany, |
| the game Shatranj flourished and this is also | | | | Hungary and America. This is the time when |
| the period of the first chess documents which | | | | the game became organized and all the rules |
| attest characters that were known to play | | | | that we now know and after which we play this |
| chess. During this time the game spread as | | | | beautiful strategic game were established. |
| far as Spain. Before these recordings, there | | | | |
| were legends that said that the game was used | | | | The days of nobility chess playing have only |
| to explain the death of one of the Persian | | | | begun. These days you can have your own set |
| Queen's sons who was killed by the other, or | | | | of pieces and a board to play with your |
| that the inventor of chess asked to be paid | | | | friends or family in a nice mind working |
| by a grain of cereal doubled on each of the | | | | get-together. In fact you can just sit in |
| 64 squares of the board that was used to play | | | | front of your computer, log on to websites |
| chess. | | | | like and enjoy a nice game with people all |
| | | | over the world. Chess is so popular that you |
| The literature of The Middle Ages gives us | | | | can even play it on your computer! |
| information about the chess game played at | | | | |