All early Persian references to chess use the term chatrang, from the Sanskrit chaturanga (“in four parts”), which describes the four components of an early Indian army: infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots. Along with excelling in the courtly pursuits of hunting and riding, the hero was also a skilled chess player.Ĭhess, however, was not invented in Persia. The earliest literary reference to chess is in a Persian romance of the same period, about 600, the Karnamak-i Artaxshir-i Papakan ( Deeds of Ardashir, Son of Papag). Excavations at the seventh-century site of Afrasiab, the oldest part of today’s Samarkand, Uzbekistan, have turned up seven small, carved figures that closely resemble later Persian descriptions of chess pieces, including a king, fazin (“counselor”), elephant, horse, chariot and pawn. ( Source).Īrcheological evidence suggests that chess has ancient roots in Persia and Central Asia. Freer and Sackler Galleries, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. 1492), in the story A Father Advises his Son About Love (folio 51b). Illustration to the “Haft Awrang” (Seven Thrones) by Nur ad-Din Abd ar-Rahman Jami (d. Chess has no bloodshed, but the exhilaration of psychological warfare-taking no prisoners in a complete victory-is its attraction.įigure 2: Persian youth playing chess with two suitors. Chess is a game of information, false and true, derived from what the opponent “should” do, based on his own past play or that of others, and on what the opponent actually does. One must so thoroughly master the adversary’s weaknesses-an overzealous offence? guarding rather than attacking? a passion for sweeping one end?-that one can anticipate them and use them. To win, one must understand the mentality of the opponent, hinted at in each new move. In essence, chess is warfare, as much psychology as strategy. There is no recovery by chance-no helpful roll of the dice or spin of the wheel, no lucky draw of the cards. Every move results in a different pattern of possibilities for the next moves, and the patterns signal advantage, challenge or danger. There is a give and take of possibilities, and scope for creativity and unexpected, brilliant moves. Rather, the game involves escapes, feints and sacrifices. The youngster also quickly learns that simply knowing how a knight or a queen moves does not lead to winning. What was this game that crossed boundaries of language, religion, culture, geography, ethnicity and class, and was woven deeply into the fabric of the greater Asian and wider world? The rules and moves of the various chess pieces are, after all, so simple that any schoolchild can learn them. The Diwan-e Kabir ( Great Work) or Diwan-e Šams-e Tabrizi ( The Works of Shams of Tabriz) is a major writing of Mawlana Jalal-ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, (d. They no doubt communicated through interpreters, but the fact that men whose homes were separated by a third of the circumference of the Earth could find they had chess in common is remarkable-and so is the fact that they could have found other players familiar with the game at any stopping point in Asia, the Middle East or Europe.įigure 1: 15th-16th century manuscript of Divan-e Shamse Tabrizi depicting Shamse Tabrizi playing chess with a young Persian prince. The Javan immediately recognized the game and the two men discussed the form of the pieces used in the chess played there.
In 1509, Diego Lopez, commander of the first Portuguese expedition to Malacca, in the East Indies, was playing chess when a Javan from the mainland came aboard. The figures and captions illustrating the articles were added by the editorial board of *** We reproduce it under the permission granted by the publisher (see Copyright and Permissions). For the online version, with figures, see: Stewart Gordon, The Game of Kings (© Saudi Aramco World). This article appeared on pages 18-23 of the July/August 2009 print edition of Saudi Aramco World, vol 60, N° 4. In this excellent article, published by Stewart Gordon in the July/August 2009 issue of Saudi Aramco World, the history of chess in the Islamic civilisation is narrated, surrounded by its historical and cultural context. Across the miles and the centuries, the game changed, but its fascination and the mental training it offered did not. Chess probably originated in Persia or Central Asia before the seventh century and spread to India, China, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, becoming so acculturated that the ability to play was simply part of being a civilized person.
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