History of Chess

Histoire des échecs

It is my intention to present and discuss here several topics in relation with Chess history

The Chess and Games Library

A handy collection of relevant papers for history of Chess and other games.

All presented in pdf format and easy to download.

This page will continue to grow as further additions are planned.

Any contribution from authors is welcome.

The origin of Chess / L'origine des échecs

This section is devoted to a fascinating enigma :  where, when, why, how was Chess born ?

The following pages deal with Chess birth.

• The enigma of Chess birth
• Origin of Chess : a cycle of 5 pages
  • The tradition
  • The texts
  • The archaeology
  • The game structure
  • The philology
  • and a conclusion
• An exhaustive comparison between Chatrang (ancient Persian Chess) and Xianqi (Chinese Chess)

The archaeological findings / Les traces archéologiques

• The Dalverzin-Tepe pieces : an irritating mystery
• The terracotta figures from Northern India
• Earliest pieces in Orient
• Earliest pieces in Russia
• Earliest pieces in Europe
• Some controversial pieces: Chess or not Chess?
• The Afrasiab Chessmen (with good definition scans)
• The mysterious Afghan Chessmen
• The Ager Chessmen
• The Charlemagne Chessmen (with good definition scans)
• The Lewis Chessmen (with good definition scans)
• The Butrint piece
• Chess representation in Angkor temples in Cambodia

Many nice illustrations can be found on these pages.

What are the sources available to the historians and what do they tell us ?

Here are all these well known texts, and others less known, put in chronological order. For every mentionned text, a table summarizes:
the estimated date of writing / the title of the work / the author / the language.

• The old texts / Les sources écrites antiques
  • 6th, 7th and 8th century
  • 9th and 10th century
  • 11th and 12th century
  • 13th, 14th and 15th century
  • 16th and 17th century

Quelles sont les sources dont disposent les historiens et qu'est-ce qu'elles nous apprennent ?

 Sont énumérés ici tous ces textes souvent cités et d'autres moins connus. Pour chaque texte mentionné, un tableau récapitule :
la date estimée de son élaboration / le titre complet de l'œuvre / le nom de l'auteur / la langue.

Variety of Chess all over the World

• Official rules of European Chess , "standard" Chess for most of people.
• Presentation and history of Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) and Janggi (Korean Chess)
• Presentation and history of Xiangqi variants, for 3 players and for 7 players.
• Presentation and history of Shogi (Japanese Chess) and all Shogi variants: Chu Shogi, Dai Shogi, Dai Dai Shogi, Maka Dai Dai Shogi, Tai Shogi ,
  Tenjiku Shogi, Wa Shogi, Tai Kyoku Shogi , Ko Shogi and Tori Shogi.
• South-East Asian Chess : Sittuyin (Burmese),
  Makruk (Thai)/ Ouk Chatrang (Cambodian) and a never-confirmed mysterious Hill's Cambodian Chess
• Mirror page:  Cambodian Chess Games by Vuthy Tan.
• Chess in Malaysia and Indonesia : Main Chator
• North and Central Asian Chess : Shatar (Mongolia) page 1 and page 2, and Chandraki (Tibet)
• A peculiar Mongolian variant : Hiashatar
• The variety of Chess in India
• Madagascan Chess : Samantsy  and Ethiopian Chess : Senterej
• Mirror page: Homepage for Senterej

More about chess history

• Presentation of ancient and related games : Liubo, Polis, Ashtapada.
• Liubo reconstructed rules
• The mysterious Prasena of the Chinese Buddhist monk Fazang.
• Indo-Persian Chatrang (or Chaturanga) and the Arabic Shatranj
• The variants of Shatranj: Limb, Complete, Celestial, Byzantine, Citadel Chess
• Indian Four-Handed Chaturanga is not the oldest Chess ancestor !
• The Tamerlane Chess, the "popular" and the "extended" full version

The "Grant Acedrex" from King Alfonso X of Castille (1283)

• The Four Seasons Chess and the Escaques also from King Alfonso X of Castille
• The Courier Chess
• The European revolution : the birth of the Queen and the Bishops
• Scacchia Ludus, a Latin Chess poem composed by M.H.Vida in 1513, and its translation into English.
• History of European Chess: castling, prise en passant, Pawn promotion

• The Champions Hall of Fame in Chess
• The Champions Hall of Fame in Xiangqi and Shogi

All this will be completed in the future.