Modern Chess is a Jewish Game.

I don't know a great deal about chess history. I know a primitive form of the sport was developed in India and that there were variations of the rules until as recent as the 1600's . Some rules were even added after that I believe.  I always thought of Russia as the leading chess nation but after reading a bit more I have come to realize that chess as we know it today belongs solely to the Jews.

I have copied and pasted two sources here to support  my view.

Jews have long played a role as players and chess theoreticians, they also played a role in the development of the game.

The two main contemporary schools of chess were conceived of by Jews, the Modern school by Wilhelm Steinitz which advocates the accumulation of small advantages, and the Hypermodern by Richard Réti Aron Nimzowitsch which avoids releasing tension in the centre of the board. Julio Ganzo’s book Chessology shows four stages of the consolidation of modern chess: the psychological by Lasker, the scientific by Tarrasch, the positional by Capablanca and the energetic by Breyer. Three of the four were Jews. The Chess Review of U.S. was founded by Israel Horowitz and the strategy of countergambits by Ernst Falkbeer

In his 1978 book, The Rating of Chess Players, Past and Present, Professor Arpad Elo numerically rated some 476 major tournament players from the nineteenth century onward. Of the fifty-one highest ranked players, approximately one-half were Jewish, or of Jewish descent.

"Since chess entered upon its third period of splendour, the period in which we actually are, the Israelitish element has exercised a predominance out of all proportion to the number and position of the Jews.The branches of activity are well known in which the Israelites have excelled for so long, and, as it were, by the force of atavism – banking, business, industry. In chess their supremacy began to manifest itself scarcely two generations ago. It has not ceased to grow stronger and stronger since then" - Alphonse Goetz in The Parallel Progress of Chess and Civilization, L’Eco degli Scacchi (1918)

From WIKI

Jewish players and game theoreticians have long been involved in the game of chess and have significantly contributed to the development of chess, which has been described as the "Jewish National game". Of the first 13 undisputed world champions, over 50% were Jewish, including the first two.

One of the strongest ever players was the half Jewish Garry Kasparov, who was world No. 1 from 1985 until his retirement in 2005. The strongest female chess player in history by far is the Jewish Judit Polgár.^[5] There is currently a strong Jewish presence among the world's best players. Beersheba in Israel is the city with the most chess grandmasters per capita in the world.[

You can have a look at the list of Jewish greats here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_chess_players

Let's make it happen!

It is a very true and relevant chess history fact. Perhaps some people find it interesting that Jews,for some odd reason , are more brilliant at chess than anybody else,apart from the fact that they are responsable for the way you actually play every game you play if you plan to win.

If you are not into chess history then obvioulsy you don't care ,but if you think their contribution does not matter then you are more of a Philistine than your remark suggests.

There is a problem with calling Jews a nation.

First of all, being a jew means being a follower of the jewish religion, according to the old definition, valid for thousands of years. (In fact, one can adopt jewish religion , 'become a jew', only if the mother is a jew).

The term 'Nation' exists since 19th century, and is reserved to a unit with common political, and economical ties. Without a state, a nation cannot exist. 

You can call the inhabitants of Israel Israelis, (note that many of them are Muslims or Christians, speaking arabic), because it is a STATE. That's why it is the nation of Israel.

I agree with calling Jews a nationality (describing a unit, with own identity, common cultural and economic ties, not necessarily with own state), in some countries of Eastern Europe (the 'Shtetl'), since the midages, with religion, Hebrew and Jiddish language, music, markets, since 19th century also with literature, newspapers, etc., such as in the Russian empire, Poland, parts of Romania. That life has disappeared ...

Probably one can speak about a jewish nationality in the US, due to the many jews in the neighborhood of New York, they develop a vibrant cultural life.

Calling a community a nation, just based on religion (although quite some parts of them do not follow the rituals or converted to christianity or even call themselves atheists), or descendence, is not correct.

Btw, the same problem is it with 'Arab nation'. The nationalists can say what they want, but in fact there are (only) the nations of Marocco, Algeria, Tunesia, Egypt, etc.... Speaking the same language (and the dominant - although not unique - religion Islam, does not make the Arabs one nation.

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About chess:

Jews are 'people of the books', being literate/smart is a value in itself to them (held higher often than in other communities of the countries they lived , or live, in). Chess is a good tool to train your brain.

  In addition, playing chess has been a way/escape against discrimination in the past (in Russia, Poland, Austria, Germany): over the chess board everybody is equal.

Interseting view,thanks.I certainly don't know enough to comment ,perhaps some Jewish/Israelite/Hebrews can respond ?

Chess came to Western, South and Middle Europe through the Arab Khalifate of Spain in 15th and 16th century, (perhaps earlier, too, from the arab state of Sicily ?) and the ties some rich Italian cities (Florence, Venice, Genova, Siena etc.) had with them. Chess had high reputation in the Khalifate, and since many jews lived there since many hundreds of years, they have certainly played it, too.

I am interested in two questions:

1) How did chess come to Russia and when ?

2) Were jews THE 'deliverers' of chess ?

I think my first question has been answered in:

http://www.chess.com/article/view/russian-chess-history

Well, I guess we should thank all these long gone Jews for their efforts to promote this fine game!

Yes,I am going to have a moment of silence right now plus I am planning to eat Kosher food only for the next week.

Jews are just more manlier than the rest of us. It's pretty obvious since women can't play chess.

Let's make it happen!

Sunshiny wrote:

Jews are just more manlier than the rest of us. It's pretty obvious since women can't play chess.

OK,that was an attempt at something but I am not sure what because I don't understand it.But thanks,maybe.

Sarcasm, i think.

FWIW, i agree with much that has been said. I do disagree with the statement that the game belongs soley to the Jews. It is a game for anyone interest(ed) in playing. Developing the skills to excel at the game isn't limited to Jews.

Sunshiny wrote:

FWIW, i agree with much that has been said. I do disagree with the statement that the game belongs soley to the Jews. It is a game for anyone interest(ed) in playing. Developing the skills to excel at the game isn't limited to Jews.

True ,what I meant was the development of modern chess ,or modern chess thinking belongs to the Jews. Not the game as such belong to them.

Jews like chess because like chess the Jewish "religion" consists of a lot of meaningless rules. But Jews have never had an exclusive franchise on chess. Chess itself originated in the east among Moslems, Persians, Hindus and such.

And many of the greatest chess players are not Jewish, Alekhine, for example, was a Russian aristocrat, not a Jew at all. Capablanca was not a Jew. I play chess in clubs and in parks in New York city and many very good chess players happen to be black and while there are some black gms, most black people have to work for a living and don't have the time and money to enter tournaments. 

Also you have the question what is a Jew? Is it a race or a nationality or a religion. Bobby Fischer said that he was not a Jew even though his mother was a Jew. Also Kasparov is supposedly half Jewish but I have never heard him say anything about his religion or even if he has one. 

Anyway this discussion is entirely meaningless since the important thing is the game itself not the racial or religious profiles of the players. 

Never thought about that this thread will probably get a lot of arguing though

I have looked up Kasparov in Wikipedia. They say his father was Jewish and his mother was Armenian. He himself said that he is a self appointed Christian. So is he Jewish or not? Also I don't think Magnus Carlsen is Jewish. 

The second question has not been answered yet.