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 Chess is considered by many to be the king of board games. No one knows the exact origin of the game. It is thought to be descended from an Indian game called Chaturanga. The word is Indian and refers to the four arms of an Indian army - elephants, cavalry, infantry, and chariots. It emerged in India sometime around 600 AD. It quickly became popular and acquired most of the rules of the modern game. Its popularity spread by trade routes into the rest of the near East, and eventually to China. 
The Arabs became acquainted with the game through their Eastern conquests. Using their vast empires as a conduit, they spread the newly popular game throughout Asia Minor. Europeans learned the game through Arab contact sometime in the tenth century. Chess was a lot slower paced at this time. During the fifteenth century Europeans began revising the rules and replacing some of the pieces with new ones. The revisions quickened the play by giving certain key pieces new powers and moves. These alterations gained almost universal acceptance by the 1500's. The new rules also increased the popularity of the game, which caused the formation of national chess associations. These associations began to sponsor chess tournaments, beginning in Russia and Germany. The tournaments produced national chess masters, which led, in turn, to international tournaments. A German - Adolph Anderssen - was the first international chess champion winning the tournament in London, England in 1851. Many nations have dominated the game over the years. Early in the tournament history the game was dominated by the Italians. Then the French became masters. By the early 20th Century Russia began to dominate. By the late 20th century Russia and the United States became rivals for chess champions, although the Russians are still dominant at the game. |