Canadian Chess - Sponsor Us - History of chess
Written and copyright 2011 by David Cohen.
Main web site & contact: Canadian Chess.
History of chess
When Alexander of Macedonia invaded India with his army from Greece, over 2,300 years ago, he tried to combine the two cultures. Chess resulted from the combination of the logic games of Greece and the race games of India. Think of the logic of how the pieces move, and the racing of pawns to the opposite sides of the board.
Chess is a game played on a board by two players. The board represents a battlefield. The pieces of each player represent the Indian army’s leader (king); advisor to the leader (queen); and four components: infantry (pawn), cavalry (knight), chariotry (rook) and elephantry (bishop).
Many variants of chess were developed as people travelled from India in different directions. Eastward, chess was carried to China and Japan. Westward, chess flourished in the Middle East around 800 A.D. The game moved with its players through Northern Africa and then into Europe. Regional variations of the game again developed, with a settling down of the rules largely achieved by 1600. From Europe, chess came to Canada around the 17th century, brought from England and France by explorers and the military.
Modern chess
Chess went through many phases of high popularity, never more so than now. In the 12th century it was all the rage in Europe. In the 15th century, the second book ever printed was a chess book; now there are more books printed on chess than on any other sport. The 19th century saw the introduction of newspaper chess columns and chess magazines; the development of play by correspondence; the emergence of local chess clubs; and finally the gathering of players at international tournaments. At first, the World Chess Championship was controlled by the individual title holder. By mid-20th century, organized chess was firmly established, running the World Chess Championship and the Chess Olympiad. The USSR dominated, because they recognized the value of chess for education; and provided government support for it. The most famous moment in chess history was the 1972 Fischer - Spassky match in Iceland, when the lone American temporarily unseated them. Karpov and Kasparov regained the Soviet supremacy; however, in a landmark event, the latter lost a game, then a match, to a computer.
Surprisingly, chess took off to new heights afterwards. School children around the world learn the game, as educators become more aware of the benefits of chess for education. India and China in particular have large numbers of players and fans, thanks to their citizens winning the World Chess Championship (Viswanathan Anand, India) and Women's World Chess Championship (Xie Jun, China).
A computer facilitates the interaction of the two players, thanks to the internet. Players world-wide connect with each other to play, via dedicated servers. Millions play chess daily on the internet, where they also watch live webcasts of important games.