Chess researchers all agree that its history can only be reconstructed from these Arab sources.įor about 500 years, Muslims dominated the game and their players were the best in the world. The Arabs were the first people to study the game scientifically and it is to their early writers that we owe the most numerous and earliest references to this ancient pastime. Historians have asserted that wherever the Muslims conquered or colonized they carried chess with them. In less than a century, from China in the east to France in the west, this epitome of indoor sport was diffused and took hold. Lessing in The World of Chess, the conquest of Persia by Islam was the most important development in the history of chess. After the Arab conquest of that country, the game spread to all Islamic lands, reaching Spain before 900 A.D. Hence, in the Indian sub-continent, it was called chaturanga (army game).įrom the Indian sub-continent, in about 600 A. In its original version the game symbolized a battle between two armies.

No one is exactly certain where it was invented, but it is thought that a primitive type of chess could have been played in India over 5,000 years ago.

More has been written about chess than any other game ever devised. However, for most people, like the medieval Arabs who carried it to the western world, it remains a truly fulfilling pastime. Yet, in the past, some religious leaders have condemned it as a sinful type of diversion. In backgammon and domino, we also use special names for the numbers one through six using a mixture of these languages and Georgian, which changes according the combinations they are in.Some have called chess the highest plane of human pleasure others, an admirable effort of the human mind. Most of these last terms are probably borrowed from Arabic, Persian, or Turkish, each of which had a big influence on the Georgian language during the Middle Ages as their empires subsequently dominated the country. Queen- Lazieri (just means chess queen, but I believe it comes from a Persian word meaning something like “adviser”) or Dedopali (queen) Knight- Mkhedari (warrior) or Tskheni (horse) Rook- Etli (chariot, although in modern language means wheelchair) or Koshki (tower) Pawn- Paiki (now only means chess pawn, but I believe it’s an old word for messenger) Georgian: there are official names but a lot of people just use some colloquial words, I write those second if they exist: People always name things based on what they are familiar with. It's kinda like how we call onions as 'western scallions', while westerners call onions as onion and scallions as green onions. Soldiers can 'promote' when they cross the middle of the board (called the river) and be able to also move horizontally one square.Ĭastling is called 王车易位, which is just a literal translation of the king and rook moving.īonus, in Chinese, chess is called 国际象棋, meaning 'international elephant chess'. Pawn structure is not a concept in Xiangqi as they're all isolated. The piece in Xiangqi can move one square at a time, but also capture that way instead of diagonally. There is an equivalent as the general/marshal in Xiangqi, but in Xiangqi, generals have more restricted movement, and a stalemate is considered a win for the side that causes it. There is no equivalent piece in Xiangqi, so this is just the translation for queen. In Xiangqi, the elephant (or 相, minister, for Red side) moves diagonally, but only on your own side, and must move a set distance of two squares' diagonals at a time. Xiangqi is 象棋, which is why you can call it elephant chess sometimes. Always one square forward and then one square diagonally.īishop = 象, meaning elephant. So I never thought of the knight in chess as moving in an L shape.

This means the move path matters, as it can be blocked. Almost the same piece in Xiangqi, except horses cannot jump over other pieces. (btw, it's pronounced differently from usual.) The equivalent in Xiangqi is identical. Please continue to give us your feedback and suggestions on how we can help make /r/chess better for everyone.Ĭhinese, pieces are named after the similar pieces in Xiangqi (Chinese chess) if they exist. Use the message the moderators link if your posts or comments don't appear, or for help with any administrative matters. Twitter/Facebook posts must contain a direct link to the tweet/post, and include the author's nameĬhess Spoiler format for problem answers etc., Instructions for /r/chess PGN addon ( Chrome, Firefox)ĭon’t engage in abusive, discriminatory, or bigoted behavior.ĭon't ask for advice about ongoing games.ĭo not use /r/chess exclusively to promote your own content. News Puzzles Games Strategy Twitch Other Resources

Chess pieces names changed