The History of chess (Part I) 
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Chess is the best, most fascinating & oldest 'game' which humankind has ever or will ever know ~PERIOD~ It is a thoroughly enjoyable game at all levels because it combines fun, strategy, artistry & pure skill. This 'game' has endured the test of time for centuries & centuries & centuries with its' profound beauty & everlasting intrigue. The origins of chess are somewhat clouded in recorded & archaelogical history. According to H.J.R. Murray (A History of Chess, 1913) 'The earliest works which make mention of chess date from the beginning of the 7th century A.D. and are associated with NW India, Persia & Islam. Many quote this as the origin of chess and there are various reasons for this. There are other records, of it first being played 1500 years ago in the Indus valley, which is between Persia & India. Chess has been shown to have appeared in India at a date no earlier than the sixth century A.D., and Indian scholars themselves seem to believe that the actual date was considerably more recent than even that. It seems unlikely that there could be any mistake on this, because there is a wealth of literary material available in Sanskrit going back to 1500 BC. If chess had existed in the earlier history of India, it almost certainly would have been mentioned somewhere else. Attempts to place the origins of chess further back then about the 6th century have not been absolutely successful & the discovery of chesslike pieces in ancient Egyptian tombs is not really being considered as a conclusive event. As with many or any investigation into our ancient past, the mists of time have shrouded many factual evidences. For instance, in 1973 Russian archaelogists discovered a china jar in Uzbek Republic, near the border of Afghanistan, believed to have been made in the second century! It contained, among other objects, two ivory figurines that closely resemble chess pieces. Doubts are able to run very high about these, much in the same way that they can regarding the Egyptian finds. There are two very obscure references to chess in ancient Chinese poems and literature. The first was from a collection of poems known as "Chu Chi". The author was named Chii Yuan. He was the most famous writer in the Chou Dynasty (1046 - 255 BC). Yet this poetic reference alone would not be enough to convince a skeptical mind. A second is from a famous book of philosophy known as "Shuo Yuan" which cited Chu Chi. It is from the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 221 AD). Both are well known to any student of Chinese literature. These references combined together form a 'tool' of sorts for scraping together a starting point to unravel the origin of chess. People 'intentionally overlook' the evidence that the most early records of chess were all Chinese. Some have even tried to explain that it was another game which is mentioned. They try to say that it was 'Go' or that the pieces were different to those we know today. Why would they disregard the following established evidence? Chinese chess also had a rook, a king, a pawn and a bishop, all of which occupied the same place on the board in the same starting positions and have the same movement and the same names as the known medieval predecessor of western chess. It's clear these disbelievers don't even know the rules or look of Chinese chess. The only real differences between the pieces are the position of a 'counselar' on the side of the king, instead of the modern queen. Next , it's easy to infer how the growing influence of early european monarch wifes (queens) eventually had a role which would be reflected on the board. Many chess pieces evolved to represent, or equate with real life counterparts. For example the horse became known as the knight. The pieces continued to morph in the 20th century into well known and popular characters and themes to suit the public. For clear examples, behold how NFL, civil war & even Bart Simpson look alike pieces have appeared in the last 20-30 years. The ancient Chinese board was almost identical to the chessboard we recognize as standard today. The only major difference being a 'river' on the Chinese board intersecting the white & black territories. This centerline or geographical middle continues to have territorial significance (space control:See 'The Seirawan Method') and is the line in modern chess which crosses over into hostile territory. An even more recent & third piece of the puzzle comes to us in the form of a reference to chess from the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD). There was a famous poet named Li Ching Zhou. She wrote a book titled "Hitting Horse Picture." By that time, the pieces had the same names as now.
Whatever you choose to believe, or to ignore, chess is now PROFOUNDLY popular and is currently played worldwide with the same constant rules. Some new tournament rules regarding timing of games have been added recently, but the moves & rules of play do not change. Games are played today for fun and profit anywhere & EVERYWHERE. In tournaments, parks, schools, on trains, truckstops, chessclubs, coffee shops, beaches, gyms, offices, bars, virtually anywhere & everywhere that you could think of. CHESS IS EVERYWHERE!!!
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..............MAKE A MOVE!
YOU WILL SEE an increase in your Elo chess ratings very soon if you just keep playing and taking notes. Just don't ever get discouraged. If you are a sore loser, then.....
GO FIND A SPORT WHERE NOBODY EVER LOSES! lol
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