The origin of Chess are not known clearly, but it is believed that it can be traced back to 6th century in India.
At that time the game was known as 'Chaturanga'. Different pieces in the Chess game have different powers and the victory in the game depends on the fate of one piece - the King.
The rules of chess and the movement of the chess pieces is same since 6th century till now. The only change that happened is allowing the pawns to move two steps in the beginning. The origin of Chess are not clearly known but the first mention of the Chess game was found in a persian poem according to which the game took place in India for first time. According to some sources, the game was invented between four or five thousand years ago.
Have you played Chess any time? Chess is the oldest skill game in the whole world. Chess can tell you more about how the people lived in medieval times. Have a look at the way Chess Board is set up, and study the pieces how they are set up, you will realize that Chess is a history of medieval times in miniature. The six different chess pieces on the chess board represent a cross section of medieval life with its ceremonies, grandeur and wars.
The game of chess was played many centuries ago in China, Persia and India. But it is not exactly known from which country it has originated. Arab army known as Moors invaded Persia in 8th century and Moors learned chess from Persians. Later on Moors invaded Spain too, and the Moors brought the chess game to Spain and very soon Spain people also started playing chess. The chess game quickly spread all over Europe from Spain.
The names of chess pieces that we know today were given by Europeans. Europeans had trouble pronouncing and spellings of Persian names, so they might have changed the names to reflect the way they lived. Today the names of chess pieces represent the way in which ordinary people and persons of high rank
lived a thousand years ago.
The pawns on the chess board represent the laborers or the serfs. These pawns are sacrificed to save the more valuable pieces. In medieval times, serfs were considered as property of land owners. The life of serfs was very hard during those times. They worked hard and died at young age. They could be traded, or even sacrificed to allow land owners to escape from harm.
The castle piece or the rooks on a chess board is the home, or the refuge, just as it was a home in medieval times. In chess, each side has two castles.
The knight on the chess board represents the soldier of medieval times. The job of knight was to protect the persons of high rank and we can see two of them on each side of the game of chess. The knights in chess are more important than pawns but less important than bishops, kings or queens. The purpose of knights is to protect more important pieces and they can be sacrificed to save those important pieces.
We can see the bishop in the chess board. The bishop represents the church. The church was a rich and strong force in medieval times and the religion played a large part in every person's life. A bishop was the name for a priest in the Catholic church who had risen through the ranks to a more powerful position. We can see two bishops on each side of chess game.
The queen is the only piece on chess board that represent a woman. Queen is the most powerful piece of chess game. We can see only one queen on each side of chess game. During medieval times, queens held a powerful positions. The king was often guided by her advise.
Now the king is the tallest piece on the chess board, and is well defended on the chess board just like in medieval times. In those days, the surrender of the king means the loss of kingdom to invading armies. So it is the responsibility from lowest pawn to the highest queen to keep the king safe from harm. The king is the most important piece in chess game but it is not the powerful piece in the chess board. You will lose the chess game if you cannot protect the king.
So think of chess as a history lesson. The pieces on the chess board represent the way of life in medieval times.
Here are the links to other articles in this blog.
History of Chess
Introduction to Chess
Special Rules in Chess
Check and Check Mate
How Games are Drawn
At that time the game was known as 'Chaturanga'. Different pieces in the Chess game have different powers and the victory in the game depends on the fate of one piece - the King.
The rules of chess and the movement of the chess pieces is same since 6th century till now. The only change that happened is allowing the pawns to move two steps in the beginning. The origin of Chess are not clearly known but the first mention of the Chess game was found in a persian poem according to which the game took place in India for first time. According to some sources, the game was invented between four or five thousand years ago.
Have you played Chess any time? Chess is the oldest skill game in the whole world. Chess can tell you more about how the people lived in medieval times. Have a look at the way Chess Board is set up, and study the pieces how they are set up, you will realize that Chess is a history of medieval times in miniature. The six different chess pieces on the chess board represent a cross section of medieval life with its ceremonies, grandeur and wars.
The game of chess was played many centuries ago in China, Persia and India. But it is not exactly known from which country it has originated. Arab army known as Moors invaded Persia in 8th century and Moors learned chess from Persians. Later on Moors invaded Spain too, and the Moors brought the chess game to Spain and very soon Spain people also started playing chess. The chess game quickly spread all over Europe from Spain.
The names of chess pieces that we know today were given by Europeans. Europeans had trouble pronouncing and spellings of Persian names, so they might have changed the names to reflect the way they lived. Today the names of chess pieces represent the way in which ordinary people and persons of high rank
lived a thousand years ago.
The pawns on the chess board represent the laborers or the serfs. These pawns are sacrificed to save the more valuable pieces. In medieval times, serfs were considered as property of land owners. The life of serfs was very hard during those times. They worked hard and died at young age. They could be traded, or even sacrificed to allow land owners to escape from harm.
The castle piece or the rooks on a chess board is the home, or the refuge, just as it was a home in medieval times. In chess, each side has two castles.
The knight on the chess board represents the soldier of medieval times. The job of knight was to protect the persons of high rank and we can see two of them on each side of the game of chess. The knights in chess are more important than pawns but less important than bishops, kings or queens. The purpose of knights is to protect more important pieces and they can be sacrificed to save those important pieces.
We can see the bishop in the chess board. The bishop represents the church. The church was a rich and strong force in medieval times and the religion played a large part in every person's life. A bishop was the name for a priest in the Catholic church who had risen through the ranks to a more powerful position. We can see two bishops on each side of chess game.
The queen is the only piece on chess board that represent a woman. Queen is the most powerful piece of chess game. We can see only one queen on each side of chess game. During medieval times, queens held a powerful positions. The king was often guided by her advise.
Now the king is the tallest piece on the chess board, and is well defended on the chess board just like in medieval times. In those days, the surrender of the king means the loss of kingdom to invading armies. So it is the responsibility from lowest pawn to the highest queen to keep the king safe from harm. The king is the most important piece in chess game but it is not the powerful piece in the chess board. You will lose the chess game if you cannot protect the king.
So think of chess as a history lesson. The pieces on the chess board represent the way of life in medieval times.
Here are the links to other articles in this blog.
History of Chess
Introduction to Chess
Special Rules in Chess
Check and Check Mate
How Games are Drawn
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