Ches(s)

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If you are reading this, you are a chess player. If you are not a chess player, what are you doing here? Well...welcome! This blog will be (perhaps) a brief introduction to chess, a game and sport enjoyed around the world.

Many of us play chess without knowing what it really means. Did you know that chess stands for Chariots, Horses, Elephants and Soldiers? (Wow, chess is an acronym!) Chariots are the rooks, Horses are the knights, Elephants are the bishops and Soldiers are the pawns. 

However, this may NOT be true🚨. Upon further research, I found out that Chess was founded by a man named Gary Chess, who is GM Gary Kimovich Kasparov😱. It is said that he made an app featuring the game which was then made into a physical board. 

But...is that really true? Historians have different theories on how chess came to be. Let's talk about 'variations' that may have been the first few versions of chess before it 'evolved' into the chess we know today (Modern Chess/Western Chess).

Chaturanga (चतुरङ्ग)

No, we are NOT talking about Chatarunga Dandasana, a yoga pose. We are talking about the game.♟️

Originating in India, Chaturanga is known as the FIRST ever chess game, the one that started it all. It translates to 'four limbs' in Sanskrit. The four4️⃣ limbs represent the four4️⃣ divisions: infantry, elephantry, cavalry and chariots. It is a two-player game which envisions a war between two armies and is thought to be invented 1500 years ago. It has a four-player version called Chaturaji, which you can play in Chess.com in the 4 Player & Variants Section.

Not much is known about the game, but historians have figured it out (more or less...).

• Played on a plain, uncheckered board
• No checkmate (unlike the version in Chess.com)
• King piece can be captured (unlike the version in Chess.com)

Shantraj(شطرنج)

Chatarunga was believed to have been adapted to Shantraj by Arabians and/or Persians. It was introduced in Europe by Muslims in Al-Andalus (Modern Spain) and Sicily in the 10th century. Its pieces are the same as Chaturanga (with different names).

Just like Chaturanga, not much is known about the game but here are some rules that are needed to follow:

• NO castling
• Stalemate results in a win (I AGREE)
• Capturing all opponent's pieces except the king is a win

It was then believed that Europeans started playing during the Medieval Period and Muslims probably influenced it.

Soon, chess (aka Western Chess) came to be. (By Gary Chess? I'm not so sure.) 

Note that this may or may not be a timeline. There are many other theories on how chess came to be/was invented. What do you think? Who is the real inventor of chess? Let me know in the comments!

Brr..The Naerie Out! 🥶

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