Shaturanga, an early form of chess, was invented in northern India around 600 AD and had 4 players controlling infantry, boatmen, cavalry, and elephants. It later evolved into Shatranj in 650 AD after reaching Arabia, becoming a 2 player game without dice. Shatranj then spread to Europe, reaching Spain by the 11th century, and evolved further into the modern European form with changes like 2-square pawn moves, castling, and the queen becoming the most powerful piece. Other international variations developed as well, such as Chinese, Japanese, Burmese, and Korean chess.

1. I. History of Chess

2. B. Shaturanga
• Invented around A.D. 600 in
northern India
• Infantry - 4 pawns
• Boatmen - a ship which could
move 2 squares diagonally but
could jump over intervening pieces
• Cavalry - like a knight
• Elephant - rook
• Rajah - king
• 4 players - 2 allied loosely against
the other 2
• use of dice decided who went when

3. B. Shatranj
• Gambling was forbidden in India
,so they got rid of the dice and did
other changes
• by 650 AD the game had reached
the Arab kingdoms
– became a 2 player game
– 2 Rajahs were demoted to Prime
Ministers
– moves of the elephant and the
ships were swapped
– resulting game was called Shatranj

4. B. Shatranj (continued)
• Theories on how Shatranj was
brought to Europe
– 1. Charlemagne & the
Empress Irene of the Byzantine
court were contemplating
marriage and Charlemagne
was given a Shatranj set for a
present (but queen had too
much power) so he called the
wedding off!
– 2. Knights of the Cross
obtained the game from Arab
lands during the Crusades (the
court of Saladdin held Shatranj
in high esteem)

5. C. Other forms of Chess
Chinese Chess or
Shiang-Chi
Japanese Chess or Shogi
Sittuyin or Burmese Chess
Korean Chess
Cambodian Chess

6. D. European Chess

7. D. European Chess (continued)
• Chess was believed to
reach Spain by the
11th century
• Chess in the form it is
today appeared in
Southern Europe at the
end of the 15th
century

8. D. European Chess (continued)
• Change in rules
– 2 square pawn advance
– capturing en passant
– castling
– king remained
– pawns remained foot
soldiers
– elephant became the bishop
– chariot became the rook
– queen became the most
powerful piece
Henry VIII Chess Set

9. E. Other Chess Sets
1
2
3
4
5
(1) American Civil War
(2) Gothic
(3) Sherlock Holmes
(4) Viking Raiders
(5) Roman