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