Where it all started.
The stepstone of the foundation of chess was laid down in the 6th Century AD during the reign of the Gupta empire in north India. Eventually, it spread to Persia and then to Southern Europe.
To know more about the game, let’s learn about the name. Chess was derived from the Sanskrit word “chaturanga” which means “four divisions”. These four divisions stood for the four pillars of an army, that is infantry, cavalry, elephantry, and chariotry. If you observe a chessboard closely, you will notice that all of these four divisions are represented by four different pieces. In modern chess, these pieces are elaborated by pawn, knight, bishop, and rook.
But, what was the need for representing the forces of an army through different pieces? For learning that, book your demo class with the best chess coach at Kingdom of Chess Academy, Udaipur. After the death of Prince Govindgupta of the Gupta Empire, his brother came up with an idea of representing the exact scene of the war to his mother.
He used an 8 by 8 board with squares of equal size, as used in many of the ancient games like Ludo. He represented the two forces by using two different contrasting colors of pieces, the way today we use black and white.
How Chess travel to other parts of the world?
Then, chess was introduced to the Arab world, or you say the Middle East. Traders from these Arab countries traveled along the silk route in south-east Asia. Due to this spread of chess, it developed many local variants. In China, the pieces were placed at the intersections of the squares, whereas today, we place the pieces inside the squares. Japanese players made a rule where the captured pieces can be used by the opponent.
But, it was in the European region, chess began to be molded in its modern form, or what we play today. In 1000 AD, chess had become a part of the education system in Europe.
In the 15th Century, Chess had taken its modern form, which we play today. Many experts were advising how to play. Endgame theories were being developed. Openings started coming in place. From royal houses to local coffee shops, chess could be seen everywhere. It slowly became a symbol of creativity.
The chess was spreading like wildfire. During the cold war, the Soviet Union tried to uplift chess prodigies to set their dominance over the game.
Modern Chess
Artificial intelligence has even made its introduction to the world of chess. Deep Blue, developed by IBM, was the first chess-playing robot to win a game against a world champion. In this case, it was Gary Kasparov. Today, there are regulating bodies for different geographical domains. Out of which, FIDE is the largest. It conducts the biggest championships, issues new rules and as a whole, regulates the world of chess. Do you know how to play chess? If not, the Kingdom of Chess Academy can be the solution while giving you the chance to learn from the arena grand master himself.
Final Words
Do you want your child to be one of the best chess players and cultivate various useful skills while learning patience and discipline from chess at the same time? There are no odds of saying yes. Book a demo class and learn from the best chess coach, at Kingdom of Chess Academy, Udaipur, who is a national player too. The best part is we offer all of this at the most affordable rates. Don’t wait. Book now.