How the Silk Road Changed Chess

The Silk Road was an ancient trading route, connecting Europe and Asia. It wasn't necessarily a single road, per se. There were many different routes. Silk, spices, ivory, jewels and much more was transported from Asian countries like China and India were transported to Europe. In the middle of the road., there was a grand city known as Constantinople (Istanbul), where traders would stop. It lay on both the land and sea route of the Silk Road. Traders would generally travel in huge caravans with camels. Camels were preferred since they could withstand the desert, unlike horses who need water constantly.

However, did you know chess also traveled on the Silk Road? It came from India, to Persia, to the Middle East, and finally Europe? This game has changed a lot since its humble beginnings, and has withstood the testament of time. Our story starts in 6th century India, now the world's strongest chess country, with legends such as Vishwanathan Anand, Praganaandhaa, and Gukesh.

The first variant of chess was known as chaturanga, which in Sanskrit means four arms. Originally, it had dice, but this was eventually abolished as more religious people started playing it, for it was considered gambling. This is what the board looked like (copied from Wikipedia. Also, do note that the pieces looked different and had different names.):

The king was called the Raja, the queen was called mantri(minister), the rook was ratha(chariot), the bishop gaja(elephant), the knight was asva(horse) and the pawn was known as the padati(foot soldier). As you can see, chess started off as a royal game, and thus, the pieces were named so. This was played on an 8x8 board with 8 legs (hence the name, Ashtapada, meaning 8 legs), though some archaeological finds have found boards with a 100+ squares. There was no castling in Indian chess. One of the greatest natural talents, Mir Sultan Khan, first played this variant, thus his games would often include him not castling. Also, for those who find stalemate a frustrating aspect of the game, it was actually excluded from the game!

Chess Goes to the Arabias:

India and Persia have been connected for a long time. Thus, chess spread from India to Persia.

"Oh great king, fetch your wise men and let them solve the mysteries of this game. If they succeed my master the king of Hind will pay tribute as an overlord, but if they fail it will be proof that the Persians are of lower intellect and we shall demand tribute from Iran."

A manuscript has some dialogue an India king said to a Persian court(translated to English): 

All that really changed in Persia were the piece names and the name of the game (Sanskrit and Persian are similar so not much). The game was now called chatrang. The rook was called rukh(chariot), the bishop became ferez(advisor), the king became shah, the queen became wazeer and knight became asb. Also, this is the earliest appearance of a predecessor of the word checkmate, Shah Mat, meaning the king is helpless. 

By the end 654 AD, Persia had been conquered by the Arabs. They were fascinated with the game, and for the next 500 years or so, created some of the best players of the time. Being able to play the game was a sign of intelligence and power in society. Many philosophers and intellectuals of Arabia would use the game to sharpen their intelligence. This is the first time we start seeing the rise of a ranking system. One of the best players of the time, Al-Adli Al-Rumi, wrote a book on chess, Kitab ash Shatranj (The Book of Chess) which includes the famous Dilaram problem. This book was lost, but we know that it had endgames, checkmate and stalemate. Also, while many modern rules were there, some pieces did move differently. For example, the bishop could move two squares on the diagonal only, but could jump over pieces in its way. It was known as alpil back then.

Ranking System in Use:

Aliyat - Grandmasters

Muqabariat - IM/FM equivalent

Third Class

Fourth Class

Fifth Class

Chess Goes to Europe

The Arabs brought chess to Europe like they found it from the Persians. Beginning in 711 AD, the Moors invaded Spain and the rest of the Iberian Peninsula (known to them as Al-Andalus), and for the next few centuries, would have a foothold there. All though they were eventually kicked out and many traces of them removed, they have still affected the food, language, and architecture of Spain. 

A book on games was written during this time "Los Libros de Juegos" (The Book of Games) by King Alfonso X of Castile. This book has many chess positions in it. 

From Spain, the game started spreading over Southern Europe in the 9th century, eventually into Russia and the United Kingdom. Like in the past, this game was mostly played by aristocrats and intellectuals. Interestingly enough, there was one village where chess actually became a craze! Strobeck, now in modern-day Germany, was introduced to chess by an imprisoned ruler. Soon, it caught on, one of the few places where chess was played by the commoners. The photos below are from National Geographic:

There we have it! Our journey began all the way in India, and ended up all over Europe! This article shows the power of culture on everything. The game changed over time due to culture. For example, Indian chess sets used very detailed models of humans and animals. But, when the Muslim Persians picked it up, they became less detailed, for their religion prevented the use of idols.

However, our story is not done yet. There is still more than a millennium before we reach modern time.  In the middle ages, we have the first instances of pawns promoting upon reaching the opposite end of the board. From around the 13th century onward, boards became checkered. After this, the rules of stalemate and three-fold repetition were added, as well as the movement of the queen and bishop. The story of chess is intertwined in culture, religion, and politics, thus it helps paint a larger picture of history. These days, chess has become a common activity, and many people know how to play. It may not be a game for royals anymore, but it is always "The Royal Game".

Bonus: Chess in the American Revolution

Benjamin Franklin, famed inventor, lawmaker, revolutionary, and author, would use chess as a diplomatic tool. He would play chess with important French and British people, and use it as a way to show the fight for American independence. Also, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both played chess.