A Very Short History Of Chess
A very short history of chess: Chess is a competitive game that is usually played between two players. It is sometimes called international or western chess. The most recent form of the game originated in southern Europe in the second half of the 15th century. Still nowadays or even more than before, chess is one of the most popular games in the world.
Table of Contents
Humble beginnings
The game of chess was ascribed to the Indians by both the Arabs and the Persian people. Chess then spread all over the world and soon different variations of chess took shape. Chess was introduced to the Middle East from India and eventually became that
Part of a courtly and princely education of the Persian nobility. It is also known that the Silk Road traders, Buddhist pilgrims, and others brought the game to the Far East, where it was assimilated and transformed into a game played at the intersection of the lines of the board rather than within the squares.
Chaturanga
The game Chaturanga reached Europe through the Byzantine and Arab empires as well as Persia. By the tenth century, Muslims carried the game of chess to Sicily, North Africa, and Spain.
The game of chess was later developed extensively in Europe in the late 15th century. Fortunately, the game survived several series of bans and sanctions imposed by the Christian church.
When the game arrived in Europe, it achieved social value and was seen as a prestigious pastime associated with high culture and nobility. This status of the game explained the exquisite and expensively manufactured chess boards in the Middle Ages. The game’s popularity in Western society peaked in the 12th and 15th centuries.
Eventually, chess became part of the chivalric lifestyle in Europe. In fact, Peter Alfonsi mentioned in one of his books that chess is one of the seven skills an individual needs to be a good knight. In addition, the game became an art theme during this period. There are several monarchs, like Queen Margaret of England, who symbolized the position of chess in royal art treasures through games of jasper and crystal chess.
The rise of modern chess
In 1834 and 1851 cutthroat chess made itself felt through the London chess tournaments, the
Also worried about the time it would take players to move their pieces. It was found that it typically took the players hours to analyze the moves and nearly two hours and twenty minutes to think about a single move during the tournament.
Fortunately, the development of rapid chess was observed in the following years, with the most popular variation being five-minute chess. There is also the last variant, with which a player who has made the specified number of moves in the agreed time can receive an additional time budget for his next moves.
Chess in the 19th century
It was not until 1861 that the first time limits were introduced through the use of sand glasses at a tournament in Bristol. The sand glasses were later replaced by pendulums. During the turn of the 19th century, a tiny latch, also known as a flag, helped resolve disputes over players who had timed out.
Position analysis also became popular in the 19th century. There is even a Russian composer by the name of Vladimir Korolkov who created the “Excelsior” who stated that the white side only wins by six consecutive conquests by a peasant. Several analysts later popped up, including Vasily Smyslov, Jan Timman, and Mikhail Botvinnik.
For a more extensive history of chess I recommend the following new and excellent movie by the great Chess.com:
