A Brief History of Chess

A great deal has been written about the origins of chess and there is still debate on the subject. The earliest clear ancestor of chess is shaturanga or chaturanga, which was invented by a 6th century Indian philosopher according to HJR Murray. It was a battle between four armies each under the control of a Rajah (a human figure who could move like a king), two players being loosely allied against the other two and each containing 4 corps - Infantry, Cavalry, Elephants and Boatmen.
Infantry - 4 Pawns, which moved as pawns, do in Chess
Cavalry - A horse, which could move like a Knight in Chess
Elephant - An elephant, which could move, like a Rook in Chess
Boatmen - A ship which could only move 2 squares diagonally but could jump over intervening pieces

The board of 64 squares used for shaturanga, was borrowed from an earlier game called ashtapada, which was a race game played in ancient India. Under Hindu law, gambling became forbidden early on in the Hindu civilization and, to avoid the gambling laws, shaturanga players dispensed with the dice. From India, chess spread to central Asia, China, Persia (modern-day Iran), and Europe, reaching Spain by the middle of the 11th century.

Heading west, chess made it to Persia -- present day Iran -- by 625 AD. The Persians called it chatrang. The Arabs, who caught the chess bug about 25 years later, referred to it as shatranj. Another early modification was the merging of the allied armies into a single army, making the game a two-player game and duplication of the pieces, which have survived until today. Historians speculate that chess -- or rather chaturanga -- traveled eastward to China with Buddhists fleeing religious persecution. Chinese chess came into being by the end of the 8th century, with Shogi, the Japanese version, following not long after.

There are multiple versions of the story of arrival of shatranj in Europe - did it come from the Saracens via Spain, from the Byzantine Empire as a present to Charlemagne or did Knights returning from the Crusades bring it back from the Middle East?
One says that the Saracens brought it into Spain when they settled in Andalusia following their conquest of North Africa in the seventh century. From there the game may have traveled eventually to France and the court of Charlemagne around 760 AD.
A second claims that Charlemagne and the Empress Irene of the Byzantine Court at one point were contemplating marriage. During their meetings one of the presents exchanged was a Shatranj set given to Charlemagne. Unfortunately, instead of two Prime Ministers, the set contained two Queens with enhanced powers, making them the most powerful pieces on the board. Charlemagne thought this was not a promising sign and decided that the marriage wasn't such a good idea after all!
The most popular theory, however, is that the Knights Templar obtained the game from Arab lands during the Crusades. It is known that Shatranj was held in some esteem at the court of Saladin, who created the Ayubite dynasty in Egypt and Syria and the Christians certainly obtained medical secrets from physicians in this dynasty.
Nonetheless, in Europe, the game developed into modern European chess now played worldwide while in China, Japan, Burma, Thailand and Korea, other variants became just as popular.

The rules regarding castling developed slowly. Originally, the king always moved one square at a time with no exceptions. Things really perked up at the end of the 1400's with the invention of two long-range pieces: the bishop and the queen. The new tactical, attacking game these pieces made possible caught on like wildfire, and from Spain soon spread throughout Europe.
But once the dynamic duo of bishop and queen arrived on the scene, it became obvious that the exposed monarch needed some help. For a while during the middle ages castling was accomplished over two moves. But by the beginning of the 1600's, single move castling was the norm. Exactly which squares the king and rook should land on wasn't formalized until the 17th century, and the Italians held onto their unique version of castling until the 1900's.
The first international chess tournament was held in London, England in 1851. There, British champion Howard Staunton argued for the acceptance of one, generally accepted Laws of Chess -- covering the movement of the pieces, castling, en passant capture, draws, the touch move rule, and more -- to be followed by all countries. But international codification didn't happen until the 1920's, with the creation of the International Chess Federation, known by its French acronym, FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs). (Pronounce it: "feeday"). An updated version of the Laws of Chess is currently being developed by FIDE to meet the challenges posed by new technologies such as chess-playing programs and the Internet.

Board Game Chess
With the presence of video games and their popularity, along with the need for "instant gratification", it is refreshing to know that classic board games are still favored by consumers making board game choices. Thousands, and perhaps millions, of chess fans would suggest that chess reigns supreme as one of the world's most popular board games in the United States and around the continent. That being stated, some of the most demanding gift lists year around include chess sets, chessmen, and now the new electronic chess sets. Complete chess sets, which include chessmen, and a matching board (may include storage), can be purchased from many suppliers online. You can find hundreds of styles and themes to suit whatever style or taste one may desire when it comes to this wonderful board game. Many suppliers will feature chess set combinations that are already matched, however, you might be in need of a just a new chess board to play with an existing set of chessmen. In this case, here are some tips to enable you to make a more accurate decision in choosing the size of product or chess pieces.

Tip #1: You have chessmen and need a board to match: Most websites online list the dimensions of the board including the size of the squares that a chess piece will occupy. The size of the board is important, since then you'll know what size area you'll need available to place your board on the playing surface you will be using. A more important measurement in knowing if existing chessmen will work on a given chess board is the size of each square. The size or diameter measurement of the base of your king is first and foremost the measurement you will need. Once you know that number, multiply it by 4/3 or 1.33. Arriving at that figure will indicate to you what the MINIMUM size or diameter of an individual square on a chess board should be in order to accommodate your chessmen or chess pieces. OK, at the risk of attempting math in public, here is a quick example: Base of the King: 1.5" (diameter) Minimum square size: 1.5" x 1.33 = 1.995" This example indicates that a chess board that has at least 2-inch squares would be a good fit. You certainly do not want to go any smaller than 2 inches, since that will lead to the chessmen or pieces being too close together on the board during play, resulting in moves that will rub, bump, or topple other chess pieces already seated in nearby squares. Squares too small may just create a lot of chaos for players. On the other hand, a board with squares that are quite large compared to your king base measurement, would most likely and obviously appear out of proportion.

Tip #2: You have a chess board and need chessmen to match: Another possibility is that you already possess a chess board, whether it was gifted or purchased, and you have no chessmen. For this decision, you should proceed in just the opposite manner of what is stated in tip #1 to determine the proper sized chessmen for the board on which you intend to play. Finding the size of a square on your existing board is, of course, quite simple, you have to measure it. With that measurement, you then multiply it by ¾, or 0.75. The resulting number will give you what the LARGEST or maximum diameter should be on the king piece base of the set you may be considering buying. Again, here is a example: Size of a squares on your existing board: 2.5" Maximum size or diameter of the base of the king: 2.5" x 0.75 = 1.875" You will want to consider at the least, a set of chessmen or chess playing pieces that have a king with a base diameter of 1.75". Going to a king base measurement of 1.5" would be appropriate. However, it should be obvious that the great looking set of chessmen with the 2-inch king base might be pushing it a bit. When applying the above tips in your decision to purchase a chess board or chess pieces, it should be a relatively swift process to determine the appropriate size. Your high math teacher would be proud! But a thought, each individual has a style or preference, since the out of the ordinary or creative choices people make, is what keeps our planet's environment very interesting!

Alabaster Chess Sets

Alabaster is the softest stone of the marble family. It is usually pure white (sometimes gray) with very little apparent graining. Because of its lack of color and its high absorbency, it is easily dyed. The dyed alabaster is easily distinguished because some of the graining shows through the color. Available dyed alabaster sets are in brown, red, green, and blue as well as other colors and combinations. Painted alabaster is opaque and does not show the grain of the stone. All black alabaster chess sets and boards are painted. Alabaster is a soft stone and will break if treated roughly. Since vegetable dyes are used on these sets, they cannot be left in direct sunlight because the color will fade. This means rotate boards exposed to the sun and strong direct lighting often. Alabaster pieces are always carved in the Staunton style as the stone is very brittle and is not suitable for intricate carving. Each set has been carved out of a single large chunk of alabaster and dyed together so that the unique graining and carving features of each set make them truly "one of a kind."

Brass & Metal Chess Sets

Again from Italy, manufactured by Ital Fama, are featured brass and metal chess pieces. The metal men are made from an alloy of various metals, which is 95% nickel. The brass men are solid brass on both sides with manufactured gold and silver coloring added. Brass pieces usually have a soft or matte finish while the metal pieces have a shiny finish. All the metal pieces are designed by hand and then manufactured by mold. Offered are pieces of both Staunton and decorative styles. Metal and brass pieces can be shown on metal boards, colored briarwood boards, or alabaster boards. Also from Ital Fama are pressed leather boards and chests. The pressed leather products come in a variety of color and sizes. The pressed leather is adhered to wood and silk-screened to define squares and decorative edging.

From Athens, Greece, manufactured by Manopoulus, are additional brass and metal boards and sets. The metal pieces are of zinc alloy and are die-cast. These pieces depict characters of ancient Greece and mythology. The boards that come with these sets are made of wood topped with a Brass molded plate and metal corners. The Brass plate is enameled in different colors of Gold, Blue, and Red.

Wooden Chess Sets

Wood chessmen can be weighted or unweighted, felted or unfelted. Weighted woodmen usually have felt pads placed under the weight on the bottom of each piece. Unweighted sets can come either way. It is easy to tell if a set is weighted or unweighted just by handling the pieces. Weighted men are harder to knock over and increase the perception of quality. Players will associate weight with quality. In addition to the weight of the set, the intricacy of the knight will also be a determining factor in quality and price.

All wood pieces come from India and are made from a variety of different woods. Some are very common woods grown as crops for furniture, carvings, chessmen, etc. These include boxwood, and Sheesham. Also featured are pieces made from rare exotic woods such as rosewood and ebony. Due to the graining and rarity of these exotic woods, the price points will be higher. Wood pieces are carved in a variety of basic styles. Some have stylistic features to add to their uniqueness. Specialties carved sets have names such as Mughal, Russian, French, Magic Ball, etc. Wood pieces are always shown on wood boards.

Wood chessboards are from Spain and Germany, manufactured by Ferrer and Ulbrich. Both manufacturers use many exotic woods, both natural and dyed. The tops of the boards are inlaid wood veneer. Veneer is a thin layer of the true wood inlayed on a pressed wood product. This veneer is used to "designate" how we describe each board. For instance a "1.75" "hazelnut/maple" board has a veneer of hazelnut and maple squares (1.75" in size) that covers a wooden base board. The detail on the boards is precise but the prices reflect the fact that they are not made of solid exotic wood.

The Staunton Chess Set

The Staunton chess set which is comprised of a certain type of chess piece is used for competitions as prescribed by the rules of chess.

Nathaniel Cook is given credit with coming up with the design, and they are named after Howard Staunton. The first 500 Staunton chess sets were hand signed and numbered by Staunton. This style of chess set was first made available by Jaques of London in 1849, and they soon became the standard.

Old Style Chess Sets

The increased interest in the board game chess, particularly in international play in the late 18th century and early 19th century, ushered in a renewed demand for a universal model for chessmen. The variety and styles of the conventional chess form begun in the 15th century had dramatically expanded at the start of the nineteenth century. Some of the common conventional types popular during this era were the English Barleycorn chess set, the St. George chess set, the French Regence chess sets, named after the Café de la Régence in Paris and the central European Selenus chess set. Most chess pieces were tall, which made them easy to tip and cumbersome during game play, but their major flaw was the uniformity of the chessmen within each set. A chess player's unfamiliarity with an opponent's set could alter the outcome of a game.

By the early decades of the 19th century, it was obvious that there was a demand for a chess set with pieces that were easy to use and universally recognized by chess players of diverse backgrounds. The solution, first released in 1849 by the purveyors of fine games, John Jaques of London, sport and games manufacturers, of Hatton Garden, London England, was to become known as the Staunton chess set after Howard Staunton, the chess player and writer who was generally considered the strongest player in the world from 1843 to 1851.

Although Nathaniel Cook has long been given credit with the Staunton design, it may have been conceived by his brother-in-law and owner of the firm, John Jaques.

The First Theory

The first theory considered involving the evolution of the Staunton chess set is that Mr. Cook had used prestigious architectural concepts influenced by the culture of Greece and ancient Rome, who were designing prestigious buildings in the neoclassical style. The appearance of the new chess pieces were based on this style and the chessmen were symbols of "respectable" Victorian society:
A distinguished bishop's mitre,
A queen's coronet and king's crown,
A knight carved as a stallion's head from the Ancient Greece Elgin Marbles
and a castle streamlined into clean classical lines, projecting an aura of strength and security.
The form of the chess pawns was based on the Freemasons Square and Compasses, however; yet another theory suggest the pawns form is derived from the balconies of Victorian architecture.

The Second Theory
The second theory is that Jaques, a master turner, may have been experimenting with a design that would not only be accepted by chess players but could also be constructed at a reasonable cost. In the end, he most likely borrowed and synthesized elements from sets already available to create a new design that used universally recognizable symbols atop conventional stems and bases. Moreover, the pieces were compact, well balanced and weighted to provide a playing set that was as useful as it was understandable.

The Third Theory
The third theory is thought to be a combination of both theories with the synergy of Mr. Cook the entrepreneur and Mr. Jaques the artisan.

The Staunton Design
The ebony and boxwood sets were weighted with lead to provide added stability and the underside of each piece was covered with felt. This afforded the players the illusion that the chessmen were floating across the board. Some ivory sets were made from African ivory. The king sizes ranged from 3½ inches to 4½ inches and the sets typically came in a caron-pierre case, each one bearing a facsimile of Staunton's signature under the lid.

The Staunton chess pieces mainly resemble columns with a wide molded base. Knights feature the sculpted head and neck of a horse. Kings, the tallest of the pieces, top the column with a stylized closed crown topped with a cross pattée. Queens are slightly smaller than kings, and feature an coronet topped with a tiny ball. Rooks feature stylized crenellated battlements and bishops a Western-style mitre. Pawns are the smallest and are topped by a plain ball that represents a human head.

Some chess sets presently have a variety of modern characters they feature such as civil war chess sets. A civil war themed set will have one player as the union and the other player as the confederates. You will certainly notice these chess sets are very detailed to match the theme. They are extremely impressive by their realistic looks and attention to detail. Every chess piece has been carved to look like the real soldiers with uniforms and even weapons that were of that time period. A civil war chess set has historical chess pieces such as Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln. It also has game pieces of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. You will enjoy playing with these realistic looking themed chess sets.

Themed chess sets can also be considered very collectible. They are a way of collecting pieces from your favorite era. The character pieces are detailed very nicely and add elegance to any chess game or game room decor.

These are just a few of the many themed chess sets that you can purchase. If you like history, a themed chess set would interest you even if you do not play chess. They are great for play, for deco rationing a room and can be very collectible. They allow for a good game of strategy and can make an excellent gift for fans of this classic board game. Chess sets can come in wood, glass, marble, magnetic, travel and themed chess sets. Themed chess sets are more interesting than regular chess sets because of all the fun and interesting character pieces that come with the set. They are great for entertaining your family and friends. Themed chess sets can be bought at specialty stores that sell games. You can also find them online for reasonable prices.
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The new kid on the block for chess enthusiasts worldwide is the electronic chess set. Electronic chess sets offer the chess fan flexibility and a variety of options other than a regular chess sets. For example, an individual can challenge another person or choose to play the computer. The chess enthusiast doesn't need a live opponent or a computer to play this exciting board game by themselves. If you choose to play the computer on one of these electronic chess sets, you decide the level of difficulty. As your chess skills improve, you can raise the bar, which is great for working your brain. These electronic chess sets are exciting and convenient for the chess enthusiast or someone that is new to the game.

In an attempt to change the image of mah jong as an illegal gambling board game the China State Sports Commission came out with a new set of guidelines in 1998. The rules stated that no gambling, or drinking and smoking was prohibited. To encourage team play mah jong players were grouped together to form teams to convey a sense of team sport.

The new guidelines are specifically pattern-based. The new published rulebook features 81 combinations, based on patterns and scoring elements made popular in classic and modern regional Chinese variants. There was some table practices of Japan adopted as well. Points for flower tiles (each flower is worth 1 point) could not be tallied until the player has scored 8 points. The winner of a game receives the score from the player who discard the winning mah jongg tile, plus 8 basic points from each player; in the case of zimo (self drawn win), he receives the value of this round in addition to 8 points from all players.

The first time the new guidelines were featured was in an international tournament in Tokyo, Japan where in 2002 the first World Championship in Mahjong was organized by the Mahjong Museum, the Japan Mahjong Organizing Committee and the city council of Ningbo, China, the town (given credit) where mahjong originated. One hundred players competed, mainly from Japan and China, but also from Europe and the United States.

Critics say that the new guidelines are unlikely to receive great popularity beyond tournaments. Their argument is that regional versions are too well-entrenched, while the Mahjong Competition Rules use many unfamiliar patterns. The new mahjong's advocates claim that it meant to be a standard for international events, not to replace existing variations.
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The game Go is a classic board game of strategy similar to the game of chess, and checkers, however they are not similar in the way they are played. The rules of the game are simple however the strategy is very complex to master. The importance of balance can not be overstated, on several different levels and there came be a variety of internal tensions.

Employing a strategy to secure vast areas of the Go board is beneficial by making plays close together; however in attempting to cover large areas one is vulnerable to weaknesses.
There are pros and cons to the strategy of playing too close to the edge (undesirable territory) or playing too far from the edge and becoming susceptible to territorial invasion, very much like dealing with struggles in our everyday lives.
Play the game of life too conservative and you may not get ahead or too aggressive and lose everything you have.

Because of the vast amount of variety within the game it has gained the reputation as one of the most complex board games on the globe.

The outcome of a move made early in this game may not be apparent or even considered strategic until further on in the game, or unrelated activity in one area of the board may effect play in a completely different area of the board that would at first appear unrelated.

It has been speculated that the numeric possibilities of the board game Go exceeds the number of atoms in the known universe, yikes!
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John Aubrey claimed that the cribbage baord game was invented by the English poet Sir John Suckling around the 17th century. It was a derivate of the game noddy, cribbage was born and there have been very few changes made since that time in history. The goal of the cribbage game is to be the first player to score at least 121 points. Points are scored by runs (groups of three or more sequential cards, regardless of suit); pairs, triples and quadruples (cards of same rank); flushes (all cards in your hand the same suit, can also include the starter); or combinations of cards that total 15; and a jack in your hand whose suit matches that of the starter. It is normally played by two people, but can be played by three (as individuals), four (as two two-person teams), or six (as three two-person teams).

The board game Sudoku is a spin off of the very popular "Sudoku" puzzle which is the Japanese condensed version which translated means "the digits must occur only once".
The numbers in Sudoku puzzles are used for ease; arithmetic relationships between numerals are irrelevant. A set of unique symbols would serve as well; colors, letters, or shaped can be used without altering the rules of the game. The popularity of this now board game is the rules are easy, yet the line of reasoning necessary to solve the puzzle may be somewhat of a challenge. Regardless whether the puzzle is the paper style or the new board game Sudoku the fun factor is the same!

Some Backgammon History
It has been reported that the ancient game senet resembled the board game backgammon, with moves are decide by the roll of dice. However, the Royal Game of Ur, played in ancient Mesopotamia, may be the ancestor of present day table games. Excavations at the "Burnt City" in Iran revealed a similar game existed there around 3000 BC. The artifacts featured two dice and 60 checkers, and the set is believed to be 100 to 200 years older than the sets found in Ur.
The Romans also played a number of games that looked like backgammon. A game called the game of twelve lines used a board with three rows of 12 points each, and the checkers were moved across all three rows according to the roll of dice.

The predecessors of present day backgammon first appeared in France during the 11th century and became a favorite pastime.
In the 16th century, Elizabethan laws and church regulations prohibited playing tables, but by the 18th century backgammon was popular among the English clergy
In English, the word "backgammon" is most likely derived from "back" and Middle English "gamen", meaning "game" or "play".

The most recent major development in backgammon was the addition of the doubling cube. It was first introduced in the 1920s in New York City among members of gaming clubs in the Lower East Side

Shut the Box is a board game played using dice, mostly with one or more players, generally played in a group of two to four. The board is a counting box used with tiles numbered 1 to 9 (some versions are available with 12) where each can be discretely covered with a hinged or sliding mechanism.

How The Game Is Played
Each player throws the dice to cover the numbered tiles of the box, each round of throws end when no tile can be covered on a throw and the players penalty score gets calculated. The goal is to cover all numbers, that is, "shut the box", which consist of a penalty score of zero.

Shut the Box Game Rules
A round of play consists of each player taking a turn. At the beginning of a player's turn all tiles are uncovered. Two dice are rolled and the corresponding numbered tile is covered, for example, the dice show a 4 and a 5, for a total of 9, then 1 + 8 or 4 + 5 tiles could be covered. If every numbered tile above 6 is covered you could use one die. Each players turn ends if no tile could be covered on a throw of the dice. A player's score is the sum of the numbers remaining uncovered at the end of his turn. The player with the lowest score wins the game.

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