Origins of Chess Part I

One thousand five hundred years ago, a game was formed in India; a battle of two armies that could be used to plan and prepare for war.

Over hundreds of years, it spread through Asia and Northern Africa, eventually reaching Europe through merchants and conquering armies.

But the game of today is very much different to that of its origins, with both moves and pieces that have changed as the game evolved. So what was the ancient game of chess like and what exactly shaped a game that would be played by 605 million people worldwide?

In the early 4th century, northern India would be united by the marriage of Chandra Gupta I, bringing together two of the largest peoples in the region. This would form the Gupta Empire and, believe it or not, result in the creation of chess.

Chandra’s son, Samudra Gupta, would lead military campaigns that swallowed up most of northern India and establish an authority that brought the area under the control of the Emperor. Minor kings and oligarchies would be swept aside and the Empire would expand further into central India. The grandson of Chandra Gupta, Chandra Gupta II, would bring the Empire to it zenith around 400BC but, more importantly, he brought in art, architecture and cultural development.

Though the Gupta Empire crumbled by the 6th century, it left behind the cultural concepts that were taken up by rulers of northern India. In the court of Harshavardhana, one of the most powerful kings of this time, poet Bāṇabhaṭṭa has been quoted saying:

“Under this monarch, only the bees quarrelled to collect the dew; the only feet cut off were those of measurements, and only from Ashtâpada one could learn how to draw up a chaturanga, there was no cutting-off of the four limbs of condemned criminals..”

The first reference to chaturanga.

The earliest form of chess is a game known as chaturanga, which translates as ‘four-limbed’, referring to the four main types of division in Indian armies; infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants.

The well organised power of the Guptah Empire brought in military organisation that would be copied to the board. They relied on their foot-soldiers who were the main force in their army, using their composite bows to fight off any attacking force. Their weapons were designed to cope with any circumstance; at long range to face riders who might gallop them down; iron shafted arrows that could penetrate the thick hides of war elephants; and fire arrows that instilled terror on man and beast alike. Formed from bamboo or metal, these bows were the deadliest force in their army.

Gradually, throughout the development of chess, the sippoy would become the pawn. Although considered weak by the beginner, the experienced chess player soon learns that they are still the backbone of the army, just like the sippoy from hundreds of years ago.

Although elephants have been tamed for 4500 years ago, it was not for another 1700 years that humans developed techniques to use them for warfare. Many powerful rulers fought using these war machines; indeed, Alexander the Great was turned back from India due to the threat of an army of 6000 elephants! The Indian kings certainly felt that such animals were essential to the army as one quote shows:

“(an) army without elephants is as despicable as a forest without a lion, a kingdom without a king or as valor unaided by weapons.’

Cavalry has played a role in virtually every army of the world since humans began riding. However, many nations could not maximize the power and potential of cavalry, due to lack of technological development or problems associated with terrain. This was very much the case with the cavalry of Ancient India.

Lightly armed, these warriors didn’t play as in important role as infantry, chariots or war elephants. However, they would aid by protecting the elephants and chariots, or later charging into the battle once the damage was done.

Katherei are the most powerful evidence that chess is related to Chaturanga. Now developed into the knight, these two pieces move in exactly the same way providing a link to chess’ past. Despite the similarity in its maneuverability, the knight of today looks very different to that of northern India.

Another main centre piece to the Indian armies was the war chariot. Unlike the sleek models of Egypt, these were large compact vehicles, drawn by several horses and possessing four or six wheels. Large platforms allowed several riders to attack from its back by bow or by sword. Some even held up to seven combatants.

Chariots provided the speed that infantry couldn’t have and the maneuverability that elephants didn’t possess, providing a key element to the battle field.

With the Gupta Empire uniting northern and (to a lesser extent) central India, it brought culture that would allow games to develop. Though the Empire crumbled to the Huns in the 6th century, the northern kingdoms managed to fight the invaders and, before they would be split apart completely, the board game of Chaturanga would be born.

Chaturanga was almost certainly the predecessor of chess, with such similarities as the use of a board split into 64 squares, cavalry pieces that moved in exactly the same way as the knight, and a row of sippoy at the front of the pieces, an infantry piece that is very similar to the pawn.

Though the game was now starting to form, it would take many years for it to emerge from India, finally finding its way out via the Silk Road and towards its modern form.