Check Mate…

A popular game most are exposed to in their youth, the game of chess was only introduced to me over a year ago, and in the time since, my skills have made little improvement. My only opponents are those who have played since childhood and they win every time. Recently, after a string of losses and attempting to wrap my mind around game strategy, I got to wondering about the origins of chess. For such a longstanding game and popular pastime, it wasn't surprising to read via Wikipedia that its history is convoluted and disputed. However, its earliest predecessor, the board game chaturanga, can be traced back to India nearly 1,500 years ago to the 7th century CE. Chaturanga, meaning "four divisions (of the military)," had four types of playing pieces, the infantry, cavalry, elephantry and chariotry, which later evolved into the modern pawn, knight, bishop and rook. Chaturanga spread to Persia, where its shapes and rules were modified into "Shatranj." After the Arab conquest of Persia, the game, now called shatranj, was introduced to the Muslim world and developed further, later spreading to Europe and Italy, and finally throughout the East where variants of the game flourished. As the game spread geographically, its gameplay evolved and variations sprouted. In Europe, the game developed extensively and by the late 15th century, it became essentially the modern game we know of today, however strategy and styles of gameplay would develop throughout the years. There are far too many chess variants to mention here, but its history is long and intricate, worthy of your own research. Around this time writings on chess theories and strategies began to emerge — the oldest surviving chess book, "Repetition of Love and the Art of Playing Chess," by Spanish churchman Luis Ramirez de Lucena was published in 1497, but chess theory was still in its infancy. In the 18th century through the 1880s, "romantic chess" was the favored style of play. These games utilized quick, tactical movements rather than long-term strategy. Styles to follow include: Scientific, Hypermodern and New Dynamism. The 19th century saw further developments to the game with the emergence of organized matches of competitive chess. The 1851 London Chess tournament raised flags for the time taken by players to make moves after one player took over two hours contemplating one move. This prompted the development of speed chess, but it wasn't until 1861 that we saw the introduction of time limits using sandglasses which would late be replaced by pendulums and digital clocks. The second half of the 19th century also saw the first official World Chess Championship held in 1886. In 1997, modern technology became a pioneer for chess development after an IBM supercomputer, Deep Blue, beat the then world chess champion Garry Kasparov. The first internet chess server first appeared in 1992 with the subscription service Internet Chess Club, the precursor to modern sites like Chess.com. Since, computer chess and analysis have contributed extensively to chess theory and has become an important part of professional chess in preparation and as an e-sport. While learning the long and winding intricacies of the game's past has not improved my skills, I've gained more respect for the game and its players. It really is no joke. And after discovering there are more possible variations of chess games than atoms in the observable universe (liverpoolmuseums.org.uk), I know any thought of me becoming a chess grandmaster is moot.