Interested in learning a new skill? One that is thought-provoking, fun, and easy to learn, yet hard to master?
Then look no further! This site will take you through the history of one of the oldest games played in the world today, Chess.

Before you take that plunge into the vast sea of chess strategies and tactics, let's dip our toes into the rich history surroundings the origination and evolution of chess to the modern version we play now. Chess originated in ancient India and Persia around the 6th century, by the 9th century it had evolved and spread further through Europe and Africa, and eventually became the global phenomenon we all know today. Follow along as you learn about the impact and evolution of Chess as it passed from culture-to-culture.

Picture of the Taj Mahal, located in India

Sixth Century India & Persia

Chess originated in 6th century India, where it was called "Chaturanga." According to this article from Scientific Origin, "Chaturanga translates to "the four divisions of the military," referring to the infantry, cavalry, elephant, and chariots" (Scientific Origin) units. This early adaptation of what we now know as Chess, had the same basic goal—capture the opposing King. As this game became more popular, it eventually migrated through nearby Persia, where the name was changed to "Shatranj." This new name was derived from the words Shah, which means "King" and Sha Mat, which means "the King is helpless." These terms were later translated to mean to "check" and "checkmate." During this period in Persia, the game evolved and became more tactical as players started to play in a more calculated manner. It was also during this period that people began developing and writing early strategies, and the first written records of matches begin to appear. Lastly, Shatranj also led to the introduction of piece values where each unit had a different degree of importance on the board.

Translated to English, this park is named Spain Square and it sits in Seville,Spain

Spread to Islamic Countries and Europe

Islamic regimes invaded and captured Persia, which brought Shatranj into the hands of even more people. From here it quickly spread further through Africa and Europe throughout the 9th century. As it spread through each of these regions, it became increasingly popular amongst royalty and those in positions of power and influence. European cultures created the queen and bishop pieces, which increased the pace of the game and allowed for more aggressive styles of play. This led to a new type of strategy as well, where controlling the board through piece positioning became a more common approach to play.

Modernization of Chess

Fast-forward to modern Chess and it is more accessible than ever before. Between its time in Europe and today, new methods of play were established, clubs and tournaments were founded, and the advent of technology allows people to play from any corner of the world. Today's implementation of Chess with various free apps, websites, and published books means that anyone can play at any level. AI has even made it possible for people to play games solo to practice or learn new techniques. In fact, for the past several decades, companies such as IBM have used AI chess engines to continue to learn and better understand the game of chess. Due to the increased accessibility of chess, it is no longer only used solely as a tool for gauging intelligence, or only played by elite upper-class individuals. This has helped chess form a strong worldwide community of players.