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What India Taught The World About Chess‎




From the very origin of our beautiful game to the current global online chess phenomenon, India has contributed significantly to the world of chess. Historical records show that the 8x8 chessboard dates from the days of Mahabharata and Ramayana. Board games are also described in early Buddhist literature as well as Chinese works.


Considering the rich Indian chess history and the timeline of chess, it helps to know the immense contributions made by Indians:

  • Origins

  • Indian Chess Openings

  • Chess Movies And Documentaries

  • Sultan Khan And His Openings

  • First International Master From India

  • First Grandmaster From India, Viswanathan Anand

  • Women's Chess

  • Young Guns

Origins The rules of chaturanga were a lot different from modern chess. The word "chaturanga" means "four-limbed," referring to ancient army divisions of infantry, cavalry, elephantry, and chariotry. In Shiva Purana as well, there is a mention of Lord Shiva playing a game of dice on an 8x8 board.

When I was growing up, I was told two stories, and it is hard to test the veracity of them, but they are nevertheless legendary.

  1. Lord Ravana creates the game of chess to amuse his wife Mandodari. She learns the game and then beats Ravana at it. In contrast, other articles state that it was Mandodari who came up with the game to stop Ravana from fighting wars.

  2. Mandodari found it hard to see the state of Ravana in anger, so she prayed to Lord Ganesha for a solution. Ganesha accedes to teach the game to Ravana and asks him to treat it as a virtual mode of battle rather than fighting real wars.

Read More at https://www.chess.com/article/view/india-world-chess

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