Chess

Hello! I’m sure you all woke up this morning and thought.. “man!, I cant wait to hear me talk about chess…” Alright maybe not. but I am sure though that all of you have heard of the game before, some may have an understanding of its basic principles. A Few may even be pretty good.… But most of you have probably been tentative or hesitant about playing… It’s a game for nerds… or too complicated, or perhaps you really don’t know anything about it at all. Stigmatized perhaps, ignored… sure, but also rooted in human history, and one of the very first worldwide memes. I personally enjoy and respect the game, been playing for 25 years, and compete at a fairly high level recreationally. I’d like for you to take away from this a better appreciation of the game, by sharing with you just what chess is, its origin, and how it spread across the globe. First. What is chess' Well chess… According to Merriam.Webster.com, is a board game for two players, each beginning with 16 pieces of six kinds that are moved according to individual rules, along a board with 64 squares (same as a checker board) with the objective of checkmating the opposing king. Values of foresight and circumspection can be taken away from playing it. According to Ben Franklin: "The Game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions; for life is a kind of Chess, in which we have often points to gain, and competitors or adversaries to contend with, and in which there is a vast variety of good and ill events, that are, in some degree, the effect of prudence, or the want of it.” If Soccer is the chief sport in the world, Chess is the chief board game. Whether it be poker, go, backgammon, scrabble or hungry hippos, any game involving some skill… chess is the predecessor. There are a few differing opinions.. but the theory subscribed to by chess historian David Shenk… is that chess began around the year 500 as “Chaturanga”, a war related board game, that flourished in North India. What sets it apart from the mire of wannabes is that it had two features that make it stand out… First, different pieces having different abilities (as opposed to a game like checkers) and victory was centered on a what would become known as a king piece. The pieces had been named after military divisions of the time . Infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots evolving respectively into the pawn, knight, bishop, and rook we know today. From India it spread to Persia… Where the game was refined and called “Shah Mat” or “Death to the king”… which evolved to what we call “check mate”. Chess reached China via Silk Road traders and Buddhist pilgrims, where they jacked it all up by putting the pieces on the intersections of instead of inside the squares, and thus turned it into Chinese checkers. Around the year 750 Chess was being played in Japan and Mongolia… where it spread to Russia and was fiercely embraced, a significant amount of world champions since the 18th century calling the country home. It was the Moors that brought chess into Europe through Spain and North Africa around 900… and by the 15th century, it was incorporated into the knightly style of life in Europe. Earning it the moniker of “The Noble Game” Rule changes made by Spanish and Italian masters made pawns more active, bishops more mobile and the queen the most powerful piece on the board. This dramatically increased popularity throughout Europe. Those changes have stood the test of time… as there have been only two minor rule changes since. The US has had only two world champions, Paul Morphy in 1862, and Bobby Fischer, from 1972-1975. So I’ve told you a little bit about the game. And summarized both how it spread and how it originated and evolved to the game of today. Chess… also been called “The Immortal Game”… a game that stretches your intellect, strengthens judgment, and has influenced everything from Artificial intelligence, to the Wu tang clan, to Alice in Wonderland… and even filth like Twilight… I implore you to learn more about the game for yourself. A lot of value can be taken from playing. And as far as playing goes... I’ll take on any challengers at TimeForChess.com; just ask me for my screen name. Thank You.