Indian Chess
Chess is a board game of strategic skill for two players, played on a checked board with 64 squares. Each player begins the game with sixteen pieces that are moved and used to capture opposing pieces according to precise rules. The object is to put the opponent's king under a direct attack from which escape is impossible.
Genre: Board Game Abstract Strategy Game Players: 2
Setup: Minute or less
Playing Time: Ranging from 10 minutes to several hours.
Skills Required: Strategy, Planning and Tactics
Random Chance or Luck: None except for mistakes from the opponent.
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Rules of Play
Despite the variations of the game, each piece has different powers and the victory depends on the fate of the “King”.
Each player begins the game with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. Each of the six piece types moves differently. Pieces are used to attack and capture the opponent's pieces, with the objective to 'checkmate' the opponent's king by placing it under an inescapable threat of capture. In addition to checkmate, the game can be won by the voluntary resignation of the opponent, which typically occurs when too much material is lost, or if checkmate appears unavoidable. A game may also result in a draw in several ways, where neither player wins. The course of the game is divided into three phases: opening, middle-game, and end-game
Origin of Game
Most of the scholars now agree that Chess was invented in India and then it travelled to Western Asia and Europe where the game evolved to what it is now.
Chess is known as “Daba” in Bengali derived from the Persian word “Dav”
meaning “turn to play or make move”. In South it’s called “Chaturanga” which is a Sanskrit word.
The word Chaturanga appears in the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana to denote the war machinery of king but Chaturanga as a game is scarcely mentioned in Indian literature. Chaturanga roughly translates into the four military divisions: Infantry, Cavalry, Elephantry and Chariotry represented by the pieces that evolved into the modern pawn, knight, bishop, and rook, respectively.
Chess is believed to have originated in Eastern India in the Gupta Empire where its early form in the 6th century, Chaturanga was played on an 8*8 square board.
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In Persia the name became "chatrang" which evolved to "Shatranj". The rules were further developed.
Games upon the "Ashtapada" board of 8x8, with dice and with two or more players may have served as "proto-chess", but the two types of games already differ too strongly in their nature and philosophy to make the evolution of
"Chaturanga" into "Shatranj" a simple question of direct parentage via the Persian "Chatrang".
The game of Chaturanga basically portrays the Indian military strategy of the past era. Though unverified, according to a former theory, chess started as a dice-chess, as some people used a dice to decide, which piece to move. The use of dice was late removed because it made chess a game of chance. Gambling was later removed, due to Hindu and Muslim religious objections.
The earliest evidence of chess is found in the nearby Sassanid Persia around 600, where the game came to be known by the name chatrang. Chatrang is evoked in three epic romances written in Pahlavi (Middle Persian). Chatrang was taken up by the Muslim world after the Islamic conquest of Persia where it was then named Shatranj, with the pieces largely retaining their Persian names. In Spanish
"Shatranj" was rendered to different names but in the rest of Europe it was replaced by versions of the Persian Shah ("king"), which was familiar as an exclamation and became the English words "check" and "chess". Murray theorized that Muslim traders came to European sea-ports with ornamental chess kings as curios before they brought the game of chess.
The game reached Western Europe and Russia by at least three routes, the earliest being in the 9th century. By the year 1000 it had spread throughout Europe. Introduced into the Iberian Peninsula by the Moors in the 10th century,
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it was described in a famous 13th-century manuscript covering Shatranj, backgammon, and dice named the Libro de los Juegos.
There are various theories regarding the origin of chess.
Synchronous and Diachronic Lineage of Game
The structure, literary allusions and archaeological evidence enlightens the fact that the game must have originated in India.
Literary Evidences:
Persian sources mention that the game was sent to them by Indian Ruler. A German scholar says that chess was played on a board of 64 squares. Bhartirihari used the word “shara” to denote a board in a verse but it may be different game board in 4th century. In a folk song of 11th century by kanhupada used by Mahasidhhas the game of chess has been used as a metaphor.
King Someshvara’s work “Manasollasa” is the first known reference to the game of chess. Chess has been played in India since the 6th century according to the Persian and Arabic literature.
It is described in detail in Kitab al-Hind by al-Biruni where he writes about four handed chess played with pair of dice. Dice was later eradicated to not let chess remain a game of chance. This increased the pace of the game and satisfied the instinct for gambling.
Archaeological Evidences:
Although the literary evidence is scarce, the archaeological evidences allow us to go as far as the 1st century BC.
Ivory chariot drawn by four horses was found at Mantai in Sri Lanka and a terracotta horse from Andhra Pradesh dating back to 2nd or 3rd century. A carved
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structure dating back to the 1st century was found from Jaggayyapeta representing theme of Universal King.
A chess piece was even found in Kashmir representing the elephant dating back to the 5th-6th century. Elephant serves as vehicle for both the king and the ministers.
Chess has been an evolving and dynamic game. The chariot has been replaced by the camel in the John Company set, ivory sets from West Bengal. Although camel seems to be late substitution literary evidence proves otherwise.
After chess was passed to Persia in the 6th century and later to Europe it has made phenomenal development.
Etymological Evidences:
It is said that General Rall was busy with the game of chess that he tucked away the note brought to him announcing attack from George Washington at Trenton resulting on the loss of colonies.
In the 1650s chess was regarded as tedious and time devouring. Migrating and Conquering Europeans transmitted the game to the new world.
Benjamin Franklin was an obsessive chess player. He has written in 1780 in his
“Dialogue between Franklin and the Goat” that chess keeps one engaged for hours and it is a perpetual recreation. Franklin published “Morals of Chess” in 1779.
Thomas Jefferson said he was equivalent to Franklin in chess. He is the first American chess set collector.
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Duchamp used chess extensively in his art. He is said to have given up art to devote all his time to play chess. His art foreshadowed complex strategies he would use in his relationships.
Satyajit Ray made an engaging film on chess “Shatranj ke khilarhi” based on a novel by Premchand demonstrating the engaging nature of chess where in two friends are so lost in their world of chess that they tend to neglect their wives, jobs and responsibilities. They were even unaware of the fact that British took over their city.
Gerri’s Game, a short Pixar animated film displaying the delirious nature of chess without a single dialog.
Chess was conceived as a game of war and modelled after the confrontation of armies on a battlefield. The four components of an Indian army are the infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephant brigade. The two opposing sides of this set are depicted as a Sikh army, whose soldiers have beards in addition to moustaches, and an Afghan army. During the middle Ages, chess was introduced to Europe, where it was transformed into a game of courtly intrigue. The prime minister was replaced by the queen, the elephant brigade by the bishop, the cavalry by the knight, and the chariot or camel brigade by the rook. In Indian chess, the camel is often substituted for the bishop and the elephant for the rook. This particular chess set, known as a “John Company” set, was crafted in New Delhi around 1850 for the British East India Company.
Chess theory was greatly developed in the 20th century.
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Chess Moves and Boards
Coming to the features and design of the chess board, it was primarily designed for an Ashtapada i.e. having eight feet. The other Indian boards employed were the 10X10 Dasapada and the 9X9 Saturankam.
King: as now.
Queen: one square diagonally, only.
Bishop: As per the Indian version in former times - two squares sideways or front-and-back (no more or less), but could jump over a piece between.
Knight: as now. boards (e.g. hexagonal chess or 3D chess), different rules, or special fairy pieces.
There are more than two thousand published variants, the most popular being xiangqi in China and shogi in Japan. Chess variants can include
1. Direct predecessors of chess (chaturanga and shatranj).
2. Traditional national or regional variants like xiangqi, shogi, janggi (Korea), and makruk (Thailand), which share common predecessors with Western chess.
3. Hexagonal variants, such as Gliński's hexagonal chess, popular in the 1930s.
4. Modern variants such as Chess960, where the starting position is selected randomly, rendering the use of prepared opening lines impracticable
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Current State of Game
The game gained popularity during the Muslim reign.
Chess set acquired by Norton Simon became a representative of India’s cultural and intellectual prowess.
Thomas Henry Huxley compares chessboard with the world where in the pieces form the different phenomenon of the universe whereas the rules of the games are compared with the laws of nature.
The game is said to be so addictive that the children are discouraged from playing least it distracts them from studies.
It is now one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide in homes, parks, clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.
Chess was seen as a war game involving the martial art allowing stimulation of the reality. People have realized that it not only helps enhance mental prowess but allows one to relax also.
Chess can now even be played on computers/ mobiles or similar devices. The online games started appearing in the 90s. It is truly a global game and chess
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players have achieved celebrity status. Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky for World Championship in 1972.
Contemporary chess is an organized sport with structured international and national leagues, tournaments, and congresses. Chess's international governing body is FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs). Most countries have a national chess organization as well (such as the US Chess Federation and English Chess Federation) which in turn is a member of FIDE. FIDE is a member of theInternational Olympic Committee, but the game of chess has never been part of the Olympic Games; chess does have its own Olympiad, held every two years as a team event.
The current World Chess Champion is Magnus Carlsen of Norway. The reigning Women's World Champion is Hou Yifan from China. The world's highest rated female player, Judit Polgár, has never participated in the Women's World Chess Championship, instead preferring to compete with the leading men and maintaining a ranking among the top male players.
Other competitions for individuals include the World Junior Chess Championship, the European Individual Chess Championship, and the National Chess Championships. Invitation-only tournaments regularly attract the world's strongest players. Examples include Spain's Linares event, Monte Carlo's Melody Ambertournament, the Dortmund Sparkassen meeting, Sofia's M-tel Masters, and Wijk aan Zee's Tata Steel tournament.
Regular team chess events include the Chess Olympiad and the European Team Chess Championship. The World Chess Solving Championship and World Correspondence Chess Championships include both team and individual events.
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Besides these prestigious competitions, there are thousands of other chess tournaments, matches, and festivals held around the world every year catering to players of all levels. Chess is promoted as a "mind sport" by the Mind Sports Organisation, alongside other mental-skill games such as Contract Bridge, Go, and scrabble.
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