Who Created Chess? The Mind(s) Behind the Greatest Game
Chances are, if you’re reading blog post content from the House of Staunton, you enjoy spending some of your time with the great game of Kings and Queens. If this is the case, who could blame you? Our game boasts symmetry, aesthetic beauty, and an endless challenge in geometry and logic. Hundreds of millions of people around the world find chess captivating. Indeed many of us will be hypnotized for life. Yet who created chess?
Now, there’s no doubt that there have been some clear moments in the historical timeline to boost the popularity of chess. Some modern examples include Bobby Fischer winning the World Championship in 1972, Garry Kasparov’s fall to the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue (frequently cited as the defining point in computers surpassing human chess playing capability), and the COVID-19 pandemic (along with the popular ‘Queen’s Gambit’ Netflix series), just to name a few.
However, our game is among the oldest around, with a history long enough to make the above highlights all seem as though they were just yesterday. We all devote time to our beloved game, but who created the game of chess? Let’s take a look at the creation of chess and its evolution into the game so well-known around the world today.
History and Origins
Chess is ancient which is why many facts and details surrounding its early history are contested, with some even remaining disputed to this day. Who wouldn’t argue -if they could- that they or their ancestors were responsible for something like chess?
Like many other ancient history, different accounts from people of many differing perspectives paint a conflicted, and sometimes incomplete, picture. We’d also do well to remember that many of the records and accounts may simply have been lost to time. We can only rely on those accounts which have endured through the centuries.
Indian Origins
The general consensus is that the earliest antecedents of the royal game first appeared (or were at least mentioned in written text) in what today is India, around the beginning of the seventh century. Of course, even today we can understand chess to resemble a battlefield and the struggle which happens upon it. There are two armies in direct, violent opposition, with different classes of warriors. The ultimate goal is the opposing ruler, with a simultaneous focus on protection of one’s own.
The name given to the ancestor of today’s royal game was Chaturanga. Which comes from Sanskrit where “chatur” meant four, and “anga” meant a limb or part. These “four divisions” represented four parts of an army - infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots. These four, along with the ruler and his minister (or ‘sage/scientist’ in the old Arabic). Eventually came to represent the six types of pieces we know and use today.
Original Chess Pieces
The infantry were the footsoldiers. As the front line in the battle, they would never retreat, and therefore became the pawns. The cavalry comprised soldiers fighting on horseback. Since horses, in a real battle, could leap over obstacles and also turn quickly, they of course became the knights. The elephant became the bishop, although the original piece could only move only two squares diagonally.
The chariots could move quickly, but required clear paths to do so; these later became the rooks. The ruler and his minister eventually became the king and the queen. While the idea of a ruler, or king, or monarch has largely persisted through time. The idea of “the queen,” was not original. Prior to the game’s arrival to Europe. The queen was known as an adviser to the king, a wise man, or something to that effect. Let’s investigate how the queen, and other pieces, have evolved in their powers throughout history.
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Rook and Minor Pieces
As the propagation of chess took it from India to the west, the pieces not only took on new monikers. But also gained new powers of movement. The rooks and knights have retained their original movements from the days of chaturanga. Which explains why one of the earliest recorded checkmating patterns is the Arabian mate (diagram).
The bishop, on the other hand, was originally quite weak in relation to his modern counterpart. Its movement was still diagonal, but only one square at a time. But how did it go from “elephant” to “bishop?”. When chess made its way to Europe, the elephant was rather exotic to those enjoying the game.
More familiar was the idea of a royal court (complete with ruling monarchs)! Which at the time was closely linked to the church. The result was the bishop; the modern day piece design often includes a small slit, which bears some resemblance to a Catholic bishop’s mitre (religious headgear).
The King and Castling
Perhaps the most important innovation regarding the king began its development around the 13th century. Castling, now a known and defined king move in standard chess, itself went through updates and variations, with differences depending upon the time and place in question.
Today, a castling king only moves two squares along the rank (horizontally towards a rook). However, in instances such as medieval England, Spain and France. The white king (from e1) could jump to c1,c2,d3,e3,f3 or g1 (Diagram)! The black e8-king, in turn, would be afforded corresponding squares.
Italian author Jacopo da Cessole (c. 1250 - c. 1322) also included the c3,g3 and g2 squares in his book (below) for a more symmetrical picture. To compensate for the king’s initial distance from the a-file and proximity to the h-file, b1 and b2 were sometimes included.
Spanish chess player Luis Ramirez de Lucena (c. 1465 – c. 1530) mentioned a form of castling which ended in a similar position to today’s version. But comprised of two moves; first the rook moving adjacent to the king, and only on the next move the ‘king’s leap’ over the rook. It wasn't until 1620 in France(and 20 years later in England) that modern day castling was established. This primarily represented the combination of the rook's move and the 'king's leap' into one singular movement.
(Above) A page from Luis Ramirez de Lucena’s book, Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez con CL Juegos de Partido
"Repetition of Love and the Art of Playing Chess, with 150 Games" is the oldest extant chess book, published c. 1497.
(Above) An illustration from Jacopo da Cessole’s Liber de moribus hominum et officiis nobilium super ludo scacchorum
('Book of the customs of men and the duties of nobles or the Book of Chess')
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In the old days of the original Chaturanga game, the queen (still, then, referred to as ‘king’s adviser’, ‘wise man’, etc…) was a very weak piece, capable of a diagonal movement reaching only one square away. However around 1475, the major changes in piece powers brought chess much closer to today’s game.
At that point chess was spreading and becoming popular with intellectuals and the wealthy in larger towns. Additionally, by then the ‘lady’ or ‘queen’ identity had already been properly established. Recall that Europeans made sense of the pieces through the royal courts they were familiar with. Therefore it was quite natural for the king to have a regal companion to sit beside him upon the throne.
No transformation was as dramatic as that of the queen. Today we know her as the most powerful piece on the board, combining powers of both the rook and (modern!) bishop. The new, modern queen, could unleash long-range devastation in eight (both the cardinal and the intercardinal or ordinal) directions.
This ‘modern’ change in the queen's movement occurred at the same time as the changes in the bishop (mentioned above). So the game took on a new character and often took on some new names. For example, the Italians called the new queen furioso. With the modern game being dubbed scacchi alla rabioso - roughly ‘furious/mad queen' and ‘rabid chess,’ respectively. There was one final recipient of a ‘modern upgrade’ towards a more modern game, which we should not forget despite its lowly status.
From Zero to Hero - Enter The New Pawn
The humble pawn had always been the weakest and least valuable piece. With many copies of the same unit per army (eight in today’s chess). The small ‘foot soldier’ must also have been grateful to learn of its modestly upgraded status. The two main upgrades to the pawn to today’s powers were the two square initial advance and promotion, the latter of which was of heavy weight, given the new ‘mad queen.’
The en passant capture would only become standardized in the late 19th century (along with stalemate and white’s right to move first).
The en passant (French for ‘in passing’) capture meant, on the left, that the b4 and g5 pawns could capture to the red arrows even if the two-square initial move was employed by the opponent.
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The 19th century saw great growth in the game, particularly in Europe. With the standardization of most rules (including the new piece movements discussed above). It became more possible to share the game across distances, a challenge previously not only due to travel times but to variations in the rules used in different areas.
Chess clubs began to form, and the intellectualization of the game began to flourish. Chess in print quickly became an object of interest, with books, journals and newspapers all entering the public sphere. This meant chess theory and study started climbing to new levels. It also meant the average person would be more likely to see chess, although it still remained largely inaccessible to the poorer working classes.
In 1851, the city of London planned and executed the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, or Great Exhibition, for short. It was designed as the first “World Fair,” of sorts, calling for a showcase of culture, art, and technology both from Great Britain to the world, and vice versa. Famous personalities of the time attended; this included writers, scientists, inventors, royalty and more. The exhibition was held at a large, temporary structure glass and steel structure, the “Crystal Palace” within London’s Hyde Park.
The First International Chess Tournament
The Great Exhibition was also the venue for the first international chess tournament, proposed and organized by Howard Staunton. He was an English chess player thought by many to be among the best in the world at the time. The tournament consisted of sixteen of the world’s strongest players (although quite likely difficult to determine in those times), despite many unable to accept their invitation for a variety of reasons.
Aside from the tournament itself (which unfortunately, in retrospect, had a clumsy format). Staunton and his colleagues had other aims for chess within the Great Exhibition. Chief among these goals was a “Chess Parliament” of sorts. With the idea to establish rules for notation, eliminate ambiguities in rules between countries, and importantly, establish time limits for games.
This was logical, since the participants, leading scholars and players in their own right, were already gathered for the tournament. They hailed from various countries and backgrounds, and since travel was more difficult back then, it made sense to take advantage of everyone being convened together.
The eventual winner of the tournament was German player Adolf Anderssen. He defeated Staunton himself by four wins to one in their head-to-head match-up. He was widely regarded as the best player in the world. This victory was a routine victory among other notable results, both before and after the tournament.
Undoubtedly the most famous game from the 1851 Crystal Palace was a victory of Anderssen’s over Lionel Kieseritzky. They were paired together in the first round of the tournament. But what would later become known as the Immortal Game was actually an offhand game. Although it was meaningless for the standings but forever preserved in history!
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Staunton’s own legacy, on the other hand, had arguably little to do with his own games. One of his main ideas for the Exhibition and tournament (and generally for the future of chess) was the standardization of the designs of the actual chess pieces. Ornate designs were common and displayed great craftsmanship, but were often difficult to identify, particularly when the players came from different places, which since the Crystal Palace only increased in occurrence.
When you see a standard set of chess pieces. Whether it be at the park, in a television series, or at a tournament or club. The chances are they’re a direct reflection of the standard Staunton himself was able to advocate for and establish.
At House of Staunton, you’ll find pieces of all types that match this style. Whether you’re looking for plastic pieces, wooden pieces, tournament size, or for travel. As a matter of exquisite craftsmanship and beauty, we also boast pieces from The Genuine Staunton® Collection - The Original 1849 Series Vintage Luxury Chess Pieces.
Bibliography
Gizycki, J. (1960). A Little History. In A History of Chess. essay, Sport i Turystyka.
Seirawan, Y., & Silman, J. (2003). The Evolution of Chess. In Play Winning Chess. essay, Everyman Chess.
The History of Chess. (n.d.). In Merit Badge Series - Chess. essay.
London 1851 Chess Tournament. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_1851_chess_tournament. (n.d.).
Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, February 13). Chess. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess#History