Who the heck made chess?

God.

My understanding is the proto-form of the game originated in India, then was changed/evolved as it spread through persian areas. By the time it got to Europe, it became more recognizable as the game we know today (though still went through a lot of rule changes/additions).

generally considered to have started in the indian subcontinent.

Because the intelligent people were bored.

THE DATE OF THE GAME WAS LOST IN TME==PROBABLY IN EARY EGYPT OR THE MIDDLE EAST

Although it would be nice to think that Chess was so wonderful, it couldn't possibly have been a creation of the human mind - so that it must have been handed to the people of the lost civilization of Lemuria or Atlantis by aliens in flying saucers - we know that Chaturanga became Shatranj in India, and that the Queen and Bishop gained their modern moves in Europe during the latter part of the Middle Ages.

And it was only after that last change was made that Chess became the wonderful game it is today.

So we can't assign Chess a mysterious origin that involves Atlantis and ancient Egypt before being played by ancient Greeks and Romans, however much we might like to.

We have chess because one is somehow limited in sex... it could be they get no sex, have had too much sex, are bored with sex, are physically exhausted from sex.  All I know is, somehow it is related to sex.  Tap, tap, tap... oh, hey, wait, is this thing on?  Testing one, two, three... sipowitz, sipowitz...  Just kidding folks - chess is for the entertainment and training of the mind,  a substitute for battle - the refined gambit of the royal spirit.

Mayans, ah, yes,  ... actually I believe it was these guys:

This thread inspired me to invent a new chess variant.

If the Space Aliens had given us Chess, the version they would have given us would have had to have been as much fun as today's Chess. Yet, somehow, it must have given rise to Chaturanga, which needed fixing before it became the Chess we play today.

So I gave the Bishop the following move:

When moving without capturing, two spaces diagonally. Blocked, though, by intervening pieces, because -

When capturing, captures anything one square away, orthogonally or diagonally (a King move).

Then I gave the Queen this move:

When moving or capturing, one space diagonally.

However, once per game, a player can capture with the Queen/Fers as though it were a Rook.

As long as this privilege has not been used, the original Queen - and all promoted Pawns - can give check along Rook lines. Hence, promoted Pawns are still very useful for giving mate, just like in normal Chess.

And if the complicated rules get forgotten, you have Chaturanga/Shatranj.