has chess been played since 50 B.C?

But the question is: by whom?

The indians of course!

There's no way that's possible. The Earth is only 800 years old.

I've never been more serious about anything in my life.

as there is no clear answer , im in the mood to go hypothetical ,

chess has claims for its founding from a fair few parts of the world , but have we any records or legends of a civilisation high in technology that predates china india or any other claimant :?

lets enter the twilight zone and consider , lyonesse ,atlantis ,hyperborea etc ,

all lost if ever real , but could this be the game they played and whose survivors took with them ? cue dramatic music and wibbly wobbly screen effects

or this ,,, ugg is in the cave its daylight he has returned to tell the others of a herd of mammoth , lacking a developed language ugg picks up small stones to show the tribe and the herd , and enacts a hunt plan to bring home the "mammoth" bacon

I'm not trying to get into a weird discussion but I thought the Earth was 6,000 years old.

But who cares this is about chess.

Chess is a weird topic to discuss.

Yes it is.

6000 yeras would barely register on how old the earth is , think millions pf years old / carbon dating of rocks is the tell tale