History of chess

Like other games that appeared on the earth many centuries ago, chess was invented a long time ago. The history of chess, according to some sources, is more than three thousand years old.

No one can establish their true age reliably. According to one of the most famous legends, the history of chess began around 1000 BC. They were invented for one ruler by a great Indian mathematician, who is also credited with the discovery of the construction of numbers to a power. Originally in this game it was necessary to play the four of them and destroy all the figures of the opponents, but over time it was slightly transformed, and two players began to play chess.

The history of chess continued to spread beyond ancient India. Already in 600 BC they were mentioned in Persian poems. Arabs have perfected this game. The winner was considered to be the one who put the opponent "mat" - the position in the game, when the figure "king" no longer has free moves. Further, the spread of this intellectual game lasted several centuries around the world. The history of chess in Europe began in the 1st millennium BC. E., when the Moors brought them to Spain. Then the game spread to Italy, France and Portugal. The Catholic Church reacted negatively to chess, and for a long time forbade them. Despite the church persecution, they continued their triumphal march through the world and constantly improved. It is believed that as early as the 10th century. N. E. They have acquired their modern appearance. The history of chess in Russia began during the Tatar-Mongolian raids, back in the 9th-10th centuries. N. E., And later they were most often brought from Poland. The Russian church also forbade a game of chess for a long time, but already in the X-th century it was played by notable people and clergy practically throughout Russia.

The word "chess" originally comes from the Persian word "shah" (king) and the ancient Arabic word "mate" (died). After the appearance of chess in Europe, many books were written about this game and its theory. Modern officially recognized chess rules differ little from those on which they played this game 500 years ago.

A chess game is a match in which two rivals take turns to move figures on a 64-cell board with dark and white squares in accordance with certain rules. The most common version of it, which has stood the test of time, is classical chess. The rules of this game were adopted by FIDE (International Chess Federation). In the overwhelming majority of competitions at the international level, the "Chess Rules", registered in 2004 by the FIDE Congress, operate. According to them, the fields of the chessboard are called white and black. Accordingly, opponents play chess pieces of white and black (dark) colors. The printed image of the board is called a chess chart. In competitions, the board is positioned so that the left corner field closest to each player is black. The direct longitudinal series of cells (fields) beginning and ending at the marginal (marginal) fields is called the vertical. A transverse row of fields is called a horizontal line. A number of fields that touch only the angles are called the diagonal. A series of contiguous fields, the centers of which are connected by a single straight line segment, is called the chess line.

All chess pieces have their name, trajectory and initial location. The moves are recorded using certain rules and notations in the form of a text called a chess notation. All the figures belong to one of six types, each of which has its own properties, manifested in their displacement. Opponents at the beginning of the game have 16 pieces each. Their complete monochrome set: a king, a queen, 2 elephants and a horse, 2 rooks, 8 pawns. The color of the figures is determined by lot. The original arrangement of chess pieces always remains unchanged, in certain fields. Fields with figures are called occupied, and without them - free. Pawns are located on fields 2 and 7 of the horizontal; Rooks - on the corners, near them - horses, behind them - elephants. The queens are located on the fields d1, d8, and the kings - on e1, e8.

For any player in chess, one of three party results is possible: loss, draw, win. If you win, the winning opponent announces a "mate" to the loser, and when a draw is declared, "pat".

The chess theory is a whole body of knowledge about the laws and features of this game. She gives an assessment of each situation and recommendations for the promotion of figures to the goal. Without studying the theory of chess, it is impossible to thoroughly study this game and achieve success in it.