A Brief History of Chess

 “We don’t really know how the game was invented, though there are suspicions. As soon as we discover the culprits, we’ll let you know.”  (Bruce Pandolfini)
                                                 

When it comes to the origin of chess, the history is indefinite. The Chinese, the Indians, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Arabs, among other ancient cultures, claim the invention of the game’s predecessors, if not the game itself. However, the earliest precursor of the game most probably originated in northern India during the Gupta empire in the fifth or sixth centuries A.D. Persian stories written in the seventh century reveal that the game spread to Persia from India. Arab scholars later support this view. The Arab world adopted Chess after conquering Persia in the seventh century A.D, and scattered it to southern Europe, where the game evolved to its current form, more or less, in the fifteenth century. The March of Chess picture displayed shows where the game originated, the directions of its spread, and its native name under different cultures.

The March of Chess

The first World Chess Championship was organized in 1987. The twentieth century marked major advancement in chess theory. The twenty first century is recognized for the introduction of computers for chess analysis. Online gaming first appeared in the mid-1990’s.