Chess

By Author: Adam Nicolson
Total Articles: 475
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Chess is the game which is played literally in every country of the world. Despite the fact that it is many thousands of years old it is still an extremely popular game.

A Brief History of Chess

The exact origins of chess are disputed. However, many scholars believe that it was developed out of the ancient Indian game chaturan.ga. This game was played within India as far back as the sixth century.

The first evidence of the modern version of chess, which we play now, was found in Persia around 600. There it was known as chatrang or Shatranj, however it still differed substantially from today's game. There were several different sets of rules, and even different sized boards. However, each player played with 16 pieces.

The game was brought to Europe by Muslim traders and was extremely popular in the south of Europe. It was here that the modern rules began to be drawn up and followed. By around about 1475, the rules that we adhere to today had been established. At this point, pawns gained the ability to move two spaces on the first move and the Queen had become the most powerful piece on the board. However, ...
... they were not widely accepted for several centuries.

By the 15th century, people began to write about chess strategy and how to play the game. However, it was not until the 19th century that the playing of chess became more formal and organised. By then he had become extremely popular in France where many of the early chess clubs were formed.

The first modern chess tournament was held in London in 1851. It is generally felt that Prague born Wilhelm Steinitz was the first chess world champion in 1886. He was famous for his scientific approach to the game of chess.

Modern Chess

Today, chess is played at all levels across the globe. It has evolved into a game that is not only played in physically locations, but is also played online and on computers. Despite the fact this game has been around for so long new theories and strategies continue to be thought of and employed.

If you love the game of chess visit the Chess Direct website. There you can buy everything you need to play the game. We sell computer chess as well as traditional chess sets.