Chess, as we play it today, has its origin in 15 th century Mediterranean world but it was a variation of a game that can be traced back to India around first centuries AD. The game is later in the seventh century called Chaturanga, as many of you probably know. Chaturanga has 8x8 squares and each player 16 pieces and this game is very similar to Chess. This game spread to Persia and later to Europe.

There is also a game in China called Xiangqi and the question is if this game has developped from Chaturanga or has much older origin. I guess it is easy that the question becoms a matter of national pride. Of what I understand There was a game in China older than Chaturanga but if that was similar to Chess is another question, it could have had different rules. There are also the Chinese game called Go and some people claim that it is the oldest game that is still active today. Perhaps with the origin around 500 BC. In old China it was one of the four arts that a powerful man had to master. You play Go on a board 19x19 squares and have similar formed stones black or white and the goal is to capture the other palyers stones.

Most Scholars seems to see the origin of Chess in Chaturanga though.

However, in the early 20 th century archaeologists found what we today call the Indus Culture, around the river Indus in modern days Pakistan and India. This Bronze Age culture was at it's peak in the middle and late 3:e millennium BC and they had planned cities with similar kind of houses, (all built with bricks of same dimensions), sewers and other constructions that shows that they were fantastic engineers. In excavations the archaeologists have also found a board game that has similarities to Chess. You can see for your self.

Perhaps the origin of Chess can have a much much older date. What do you think?

(I just like to speculate some in this case, I am perfectly aware that the game below can have compleetely different rules than chess and that it is not a proof of Chess in the Bronze Age)

Here is a nother famous board game from the excavation of the Sumerian City of Ur by the British Archaeologist Woolley between 1922-1934. This is probably a "racing game" in which you are supposed to come first to one of the sides but we can't know for sure.

Historical Association

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