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ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE GAME OF CHESS. It has now been proved, beyond the possibility of question, by the admirable researches of Dr. Duncan Forbes, that the original authors of the Chess-board and its arcana were the Hindoos. All the best modern writers upon the subject agree in admitting this conclusion, though some may still assert for the traditional claims of other nations more validity than they justly merit. Previously to the inquiries of Dr. Forbes, writers on Chess gave us a wide choice as to the seat of its invention. The Persians, the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Chinese, the Hindoos, the Arabians, the Araucanians, the Jews, the Scythians, the Babylonians nay, even the Irish and the Welsh, were indifferently credited with the possible contrivance of the art. In many of these cases the choice was sufficiently absurd as to the period when Chess was first played ; but Chess authors had no definite idea except that the game was of very remote antiquity. Such tribes as the Scythians, the Irish, and the Welsh were in a state of rude barbarism ; and existing literature shows that neither the classical nations nor those with which they were intimately associated had any acquaintance with the game. The Romans and the Greeks had their Indus latninculonmi, variously designated, but its loftiest pretension was to belong to the same class of sedentary sport. as backgammon. Reasoning simply by exclusion, we should have ample ground for saying that the game could not have originated among the Western nations. The writings of classical authors are quite decisive on this point, for they would certainly not have failed to notice or describe it, had it been practised within the sphere of their observation. All obscurity has, however, been dispelled by Dr.Forbes. Following up the labours of Sir William Jones and others, that wi'iter has discovered in Hindoo literature, dating three thousand years before the Christian epoch, the description of a game which manifestly represents, in a primitive form, the modern game of Chess. This is not an occasion for entering into a discussion as to Brahminical documents. It is sufficient to say that they were for ages concealed from the knowledge of all except members of the caste to whose keeping they were confided. It was not until the latter part of the last century that, through exertions and influence of Warren Hastings, European inquirers obtained access to the mine of ancient knowledge and tradition thus stored uj). But now any scholar who is so inclined may make himself thoroughly conversant with the habits, diversions, romances, and poetical eflusions of the early Hindoos. According to the Brahmins, Chess was invented in the second age of the world by the wife of Ravan, Iving of Lanka (the capital of Ceylon), in order to amuse him with a kind of image of war while his chief city was closely besieged by an enemy. Similarly, the Chinese annals tell us that an inventive Mandarin, two thousand years ago, while on a military expeditioH that severely tried the endurance of his soldiers, devised the game of Chess as an exercise which would at once amuse and inspire them with martial ardour. Dismissing these fables as creations of the fancy, we come to the true history of the game. This may be divided into three epochs. The first is that of the ancient Hindoo game, called Chaturanga, presently to be described, which carries us back to the most ancient period of Hindoo literature, and comes down to the fifteenth century of our era. The second epoch extends to the sixteenth century of our era, up to which date the moves and powers of the Chess-men remained rincipally as in the Chaturanga, though the men were ranked in two armies instead of four, and two of the Kings were transformed into Queens. In the third, or modern epoch, the moves of the Queen and of the Bishop have been greatly extended, and the privilege of Castling has been introduced. The game has therefore undergone a gradual improvement as players have brought to bear upon it their ingenuity and experience. In the early Hindoo game, termed Chaturanga, the board was constructed as it now is, of sixty-four squares, but the game was played by four persons, each having a differently-coloured little army, composed of a King, a Bishop, a Knight and a Rook (to use modern nomenclature), and four Pawns. Source : CHESS - Theory and practice : Containing the laws and history of the game. By Howard Staunton

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