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The first reference to
Chess is contained in the Sanskrit prose romance, the Vasavadatta and follows in the footsteps of the epic stories contained in the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, the Grecian Iliad and the Odyssey.
By the 6th century AD, Chaturanga (the precursor of Chatrang, Shatranj and traditional
Chess) was being played in India. This game migrated to Europe via Persia and Spain about four centuries later.
In India the pieces represented divisions of the
Kings army. Elephants, cavalry, chariots and foot-soldiers were led into battle by His Majestic
Beneficence and his Vizier.
The
Vizier was to become a Queen in the European version of the game and in the course of history the Indian elephant has metamorphosised into our
Bishop - the chariot into our Rook.
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