Origins of Chess

There are many legends concerning the origins of chess, some true and some false. It is agreed by many experts that chess originated in India. One legend credits the invention of the game to the wife of Ravenon, the king of Ceylon. Supposedly, she made the game to entertain her husband while Rama was besieging their city, about 4000-5000 years ago. A ship used in this game ended up being used as a major piece in a chess variation widely played in parts of India. Because these vessels played a large role in the conquest of Ceylon, it would naturally be included as an important piece in a military game from that place and time. However, boats were also used frequently in the Punjab region when the plains flooded, so the evidence is hardly conclusive. Moreover, it is thought that the use of the ship is due to an error in understanding during the Moslem invasion if india. The Muslem rukh (chariot) was corrupted to the Sanskrit roca (boat).

There are two other stories that are similar. In one legend Nassir, a Brahman, designed the game to prove to the tyrannical ruler, Behub, that a prince is powerless without the aid of his subjects. The second story involves another Brahman by the name of Sissa who formulated the game after being ordered by the Rajah Balhait to invent a game that would demonstrate the values of prudence, diligence, foresight, and knowledge. These two stories are similar in the way the two inventors chose to be rewarded. In each case, the Brahman asked the prince to reward them by placing a grain of wheat on the first square, two on the second, four on the third, eight on the fourth, and doubling the amount on each subsequent square. In each case, the prince was not able to fulfill the promise.

Some scholars suggest that the games of chess, draughts, backgammon, and parchisi have all evolved from a common source. However, the fact that many board games were known for centuries before chess would indicate that this is not the case. Chess was made possible by the advent of the game board, though it is not necessarily a direct derivation of some earlier game. Also, though it is hard to pinpoint the first appearance of chess, exaggerated claims that chess was invented nearly five thousand years ago are most likely to be false because the earliest mention of chess in Persian and Indian literature is in the middle of the sixth century. It was at that time that the game was mentioned in the Persian romance, Karnamak. The work deals with the career of Ardashir I (Artaxerxes), who ruled Persia from A.D. 226 until 241. However, the play might not be historically accurate. Either way, this is still the first written reference to chess, whether it was created in the sixth century or the third.

Along with the Persion work, there is further evidence of an Indian origin. The original Sanskrit name of chess, Chaturanga, meaning "the four branches of the army," was clearly adapted by the Persians who played a game called Chatrang. The Moslems later called it Shatranj. From these facts, most authorities believe the origin of chess to lie in fifth or sixth century Hindustan.