History of chess

Where Was Chess Invented? Chess History and Origins

Guides / By Andrew Hercules

Where was chess invented? The game of chess may have been invented in India as far back in the 6th century AD or in the 5th century AD. However, a few Historians have claimed that the game was likely to be originated in China. But in terms of the records, those facts are a bit unclear.

On the other hand, there are some strong evidences that points to India that could justify the origin of chess. The game of chess further went on to spread to the country of Persia. It is believed that the Arabs conquered Persia and chess went on to spread across the entire Muslim world.

Finally, chess made its way to the Southern European Countries which gave birth to "modern chess" as we know it today.

As time went by, the game of chess had completely been revolutionized and had grown in popularity right across the globe. And by 1866, chess grandmaster Wilhelm Steinitz became the first official World Chess Champion for the event hosted in London.

From that historic date onwards, there have been a sea of World Chess Champions that have graced the scene of chess. It is still the most popular game of skill in the entire world.

Table of Contents

Countries Claimed To Have Invented Chess

China
India
Persia

Chess dates back to more than 1500 years ago. That's quite a long time if you think about it. Countries such as China, India and Persia have debated on the origin of chess but have not shown 100% certainty in their claims.

History Of Modern Chess Origin

The concept of modern chess became popular in Europe from about the 15th century. This period of chess was known as the Romantic Chess Era and the game ruled over several countries.

What Was the Romantic Chess Era about?

As early as the 1800s, the "romantic chess game" was characterized by clever combination of moves and brutal sacrifices. Victory wasn't such important as players were more focused on their creative expressions of the game. The style of playing was what really mattered the most rather than long-term strategies and calculating skills.

Later on, the Romantic Chess era gave way to the Dynamism era.

Dynamism Era of Chess

Now in the early 19th century, modern chess became apart of regular tournament and chess championships. And, in the year 1886, the world held its first ever World Chess Championship in London.

About early 20th century, chess became a lot more civilized and took a huge leap to establish a federation with standardized chess rules. Chess evolution reached its peak in the 21st century as the sport grew tremendously in popularity and computer softwares were developed to assist with analyzing games.

Although technology and computer engines have somewhat dampen the spirit of the game, players can enjoy competing in chess from all over the world through a single smartphone and internet connection.

Continue reading the herculeschess.com article.