Chess in Ancient India

Chess has a long and rich history in India. The earliest versions of the game, which came to be known as chess, appeared by the 6th century in India. The game was called Chaturanga and was played on an eight-by-eight checkered board. The pieces represented different branches of the imperial military and each moved in different ways as in modern chess.

The history of chess originated in northwestern India around 550 CE, but this early form of the game did not resemble chess as we know it today It was played with dice, and checkered squares were not developed until 1,000 years later. There were also no standard rules, so the game varied between regions.

One can trace the origins of chess to India’s “Chaturanga” or “Ashtapada,” two Sanskrit names for the game. “Chaturanga” means “four parts,” referring to the four divisions of the army represented by the chess pieces: five-foot soldiers, three cavalry, one chariot, and an elephant. “Ashtapada” means “spider,” and refers to the number of squares on the board — eight on each side, like spiders’ eight legs.

Nowadays, Chaturanga is played as four player chess.

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