Unique Chess Sets

History of chess Is Shrouded In Doubt About Who Exactly Invented The Game

There is no real clear cut notion available from studying the history of chess as to who invented the game because many a country is laying claim to having invented the game and some of these countries are China, Egypt, Greece as well as Uzbekistan and believe it or not, even Ireland. However, there is strong evidence that points in the direction of sixth century India as being the originator of the game of chess whence from, according to early history of chess,  it was refined in Persia to later wended its way into Europe and ultimately came to America.

‘The King Is Finished’

According to experts, the word chess owes its origins to the Persian term “shah” (King) and “checkmate” or ‘shah mat’ which is the Persian term used to mean ‘the King is finished’. One of the notable aspects of chess is that it does not involve any dice being used, and so no luck element is present in the game. According to Indian folklore, it was invented by a wise man who was asked by a king to make a game that would sharpen his mental abilities and which did not require the element of luck being present in the game.

The history of chess certainly points to India as being the originator, though claims that are vehemently put forward by other countries of which China is a prime example dispute this claim. The Chinese claim that their own version of Go that is older as well as more difficult to master has been around since 2000 B.C. and it also does not require any dice thus making a strong case for it as being the inspiration behind the game of chess.

There is a further twist to the history of chess as Iran or Persia as it was then known also claims that chess was derived from its very own invention of the game of backgammon and can even refer to writings as well as poems that place a date further than the Indian ones. And, one can be sure that this version of chess is the one that has made its way to Europe, though one still does not have any clear understanding about where the Persian version itself drew its inspiration from.

In any case, much like golf, there are many claimants to being the inventors of the game of chess and thus the history of chess has yet to clearly make it clear as to who among these countries including the Arabs, Persian, Greeks as well as the Indians can really be said to have invented the game. To lend credence to India as being the originator of chess it should be noted that it was the only country having three animals in its cavalry that represented the knight, bishop as well as rook and these animals were the horse, camel and elephant.