Chess – The Game of the Kings
© by Paula Jo
Chess is the oldest skill game in the world, and spans some 1500 years. It originated in India in the 6th century AD and spread to Persia. When the Arabs conquered Persia, chess was taken up by the Muslim world and from there it reached Europe. In Europe, during the 15th century is when chess evolved into its current form.
In 1834 competitive chess became visible. During the 19th century, modern tournament play began, and the first world chess championship was held in 1886. During the 20th century the chess theory and the World Chess Federation (FIDE) was established. The first chess tournament was held in London and surprisingly won by German Adolf Anderssen. Since the end of the 19th century, the number of annually held master tournaments and matches quickly grew.
If you look at a chess board it can tell you how the people lived in medieval times. Look at the way it is set up, then study the pieces and how they are used, and you will soon realize that chess is a history of medieval times just miniature.
The Europeans gave chess pieces the names we know today, because this reflected the way they lived. A thousand years ago they represented the very way in which both ordinary people and persons of rank lived their lives.