• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Firsts / Where Did Chess Come From?

Where Did Chess Come From?

May 29, 2020 by Karen Hill

No one knows for certain where the game of chess was first played.

where did chess originate

Most likely, the game began in ancient India, where it was called chaturanga. This word refers to the four members of an Indian army: the foot soldier, the elephant, the chariot, and the horse.

During the 6th or 7th century, the game traveled from India to neighboring Persia, where its name became shatranj. From there it spread to the Arab lands, then moved into Europe sometime around the 10th century.

The word “chess” comes from either shatranj, or from the Persian shah, which means “king.” “Checkmate” comes from the Persian shat mat, which means “the king is dead.”

The elephant of the Persian game became our bishop. The queen was originally called a “general.” And the name of the rook ( the “castle”) comes from a Persian word that means “soldier.”

The longest chess match of all time, which took place in Russia in 1945, took 21 hours and 171 moves to complete, and ended in a draw.

Related Facts

  • Where do the words check, checkmate, chess, checkers come from and What do they mean?
  • Who Did Akbar The Great of India Use To Play Human Chess?
  • Where Did the Word "Gas" Come From and How Did Gas Come Out of Chaos?
  • What Does the Expression "Until the Cows Come Home" Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?
  • Why Does March Come "In Like a Lion and Out Like a Lamb" and Where Did the Expression Come From?
  • Did London Bridge Ever Really Fall Down and Where did the Nursery Rhyme Come From?

Filed Under: Firsts

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Who Were the First People To Play Billiards?
Next Post: Why Is the Ace of Spades Different From All Other Cards In the Deck? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy