A WORLD OF CHESS Its Development and Variations through Centuries and Civilizations i ik > | Jean-Louis Cazaux and Rick Knowlton Rs, aeA World of Chess Its Development and Variations through Centuries and Civilizations Jean-Louis Cazaux and Rick KNOWLTON é McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North CarolinaThe present work, A World of Chess, with well over 100 variants, is constructed on a solid foundation. The French L’Odyssée des Jeux d’Echecs, authored by Jean-Louis Cazaux, published in 2010 by Praxeo Editions, Pats, is the ground upon which the present book is built, Originally con- ceived as a translation of che French work, this vext has been broadly revised, re-organized and augmented with a wealth of new material. But this book owes its greatest debt to che original French edition, Alexis Beuve, editor of Praxco, was deeply involved in the publication of L’Odyssée des Jeux d’Echecs, His role was indispensible as technical and artistic director, offering improvements, additions and even the original book title, We offer our profound gratitude for his concribusions, ‘Weare particularly grateful ro Alexis Beuve and Praxeo for authorizing and encouraging the present English publication. LibkaRY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA. Names: Cazaux, Jean-Louis, author. Tile: A world of chess its development and variations through centuries and civilizations / Jean-Louis Cazaux and Rick Knowlton. Description: Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers, 2017 | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017020887 | ISBN 9780786494279 (softcover: acid free paper) © Subjects: LCSH: Chess—History. Classification: LCC GV1317 .C39 2017 | DDC 794.109—de23 LC record available at heeps://lecn.loc-gov/2017020887 BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE ISBN (print) 978-0-7864-9427-9 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4766-2901-8 (© 2017 Jean-Louis Cazaux and Rick Knowlton. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form cor by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, o” by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Front cover: Chess pieces, clockwise from bottom lefi: Brass Queen, reproduced from Lucas van Leyden’s The Chess Game (1508); wooden King from 4 traditional Cambodian set; metal King from a traditional Muslim set, procured in Rajasthan, India: Bishop, reproduced in casting stone and based on the twelfih-century Isle of Lewis chessmen, made by Ivan Simberg of Montreal; seated King from an elaborately detailed set from India; shogi King, simplified one-kanji design, from Japan; and janggi General (“King”) from a typical Korean set (photograph by Rick Knowlton) Printed in the United States of America Edited by Robert Franklin Designed by Susan Ham and Robert Franklin ‘Typesce by Susan Ham McFarland & Company, Inc, Publishers Box 61, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 ‘wtowemefarlandpub.comTable of Contents Acknowledgments vi Introduction 1 Chess of the World 2 | About This Book 3 Part I. Chess of the Arabian Nights 7 1. Shatranj 8 3. Timur’s Great Chess 30 2. Muslim Chess Variants 21 4, Shatar 39 Part II. Chess in the Land of Monsoons 47 5. Chaturanga 47 8. Oukand Makcuk 77 6. Chaturaji 59 9. Sie-Tu-Yin 85 7. Large and Giant Indian Chess 64 10, Catur 93 Part I]. Gunpowder on the Chinese Board 93 11. Xianggi 98 15. Bangi 123 12. Janggi 109 16.Doushougi 125 13. Qiguo Xiangxi 116 17. Luzhangi 131 14, Sanguo Qi 120 Part IV. Generals and Mercenaries of the Rising Sun 142 18. Shogi 143 23. Tori Shogi 180 19. Chu Shogiand Dai Shogi 154 24, Dobutsu Shogi 20. Tenjiku Shogi 163 (Let's Catch the Lion!) 183 21. Giant Shogis 167 25. KoShogi 188 22. WaShogi 177 26. Taikyoku Shogi 194 Part V. Evolution and Revolution in Europe 198 27. Medieval Chess 199 30. Courier Chess 232 28. Rithmomachy 211 31. Gala 237 29. King Alfonso’s Games 223 32. European Chess 240Table of Contents Part VI. Chess Out of the Box 250 33. Knighted Chess Variants 251 38. Four-Player Chess 295 34, Fairy Pieces on Board 265 39. Three-Player Chess 300 35. Chess and War 280 40. 3-D Chess 307 36. Round Chess 284 41. Extraterrestrial Chess 314 37. Hexagonal Chess 288 42. Chess960 319 Part VII. The Origins of Chess 326 43. Legends of the Creation 327 45. Approaching the Question 44, The Modern Search Begins 330 from Several Angles 334 Timeline 355 Notes 359 Bibliography 385 Index 391Introduction Chess is an engaging game of strategy, familiar to most people, played by many, and mastered bya gifted few. To the player, chess offers an absorbing complex of logical possibilities, moments of intrigue and a scemingly endless call for the full faculties of logic, invention and intuition. Yee many who have come to know this game and have played ie with great enthusiasm, and many who have deeply studied and even become skilled in the game's most subtle challenges, have very litele idea of the extraordinary cultural advent of chess itself, as it has spread and evolved all over the world for centuries ‘Was this game first conceived as a teaching device for an ancient cadre of army generals? Was it contrived by a wise counselor to teach the subtle laws of cause and effect to an impetuous king? Was chess made as a game of gambling stakes, or as a meditative diversion behind the walls of some ancient monastery? Chess has been all of these things, and many more. And though the threads of actual invention become elusive as one traces them ever further back in time, the jour- ney of chess unfolds as a tale of unfathomable proportions. Ever since that spark of chess was first kindled in the human mind, it has spread across humanity like wildfire—permeating tribes and civilizations, enchanting the royalty, exciting workers, soldiers, poets, mystics and scien- tists... It has even become an object of art, elaborated and refined by the hands of the finest craftsmen and designers in every corner of the world. In the West, including Europe and the countless regions of European influence, chess has become firmly defined, with official rules consistently implemented, and playing pieces commonly recognized. With this widespread uniformity, a player in Missouri can easily sic down with a player from Italy, Moscow or Dubai, and engage equally in a game of total familiarity. In their enthusiasm for chess, amateurs and great players alike often chink of this as the one great game, unchanged over eons around the globe. But this particular chess that we know so well is just over 500 years old. If the scope of chess is extended over just a few more borders, to peck back in time or project into the future, a very different view of chess quickly emerges. There are xianggi, the chess of China, and shogi, the chess of Japan. Chess, in face, has been undergoing continual change in playing pieces, boards and rules of play—so much so that a modern player might find the game utterly unrecognizable in a different land or a past era. But with a little knowledge, that player will soon see that—yes—this foreign game with its odd shapes and conventions of play is another cultural and historic working of familiar patterns and a well-known theme. This too is chess.2 Introduction This book is presented to chess players, game enthusiasts and lovers of cultural history as a broad review of chess as a worldwide human event. We have gathered the most up-to-date historic resources and the most accurate accounts of these divergent games, and put them into a clear and concise context. In some cases, we have endeavored to correct long-held misconceptions in chess history, and have re-envisioned accounts of historic variants in light of the most current research, Several of the chess forms shown here are actually appearing in English print for the first time. Other games presented here are still flourishing in their native lands, providing a cultural access point to any willing new player. ‘The reader is invited to read herein the legends, histories and discoveries of chess in its many forms, and finally, co learn and play these games, actually experiencing chess as it has come to exist through all humanity. Chess of the World Even today, though the game we call chess is played around the world with broad uniformity ales and chessmen, if you scratch the surface, the diversity of culeural associations begins to shine through. You may be sitting at the same familiar board, playing with a player from France, Germany, India or Russia, but seeing a very different metaphoric array. The piece you know as a Bishop is known as a Fool (Fou) to the French player and a Camel (Unt) to many Indians. Your Knight is simply a Horse to most non-English players, but to the German, it is a Jumper (Springer). Although the piece being played looks like a castle turret, the Russian knows it to be a Ship (Ladya). We call this piece a “Rook” —which has no special meaning to us, but harkens back many centuries to the original Persian name, Rukh. If you travel to China, Korea, Thailand or Japan, you will find other forms of chess still widely played at every level of society, from barrooms and clubs all the way up to high-level national championships. These other forms of chess are not merely variants of our own familiar ‘game, bur complete branches of chess in their own right, with brilliantly conceived rules instituted centuries ago to enhance the game’ dynamic intellectual struggle. Here, we invite the reader to look at chess anew, to look both deeply into the history and evolution of the game and broadly at the many branches of chess as it has been transformed, adapted and remade through every civilization it touched, Chess is not merely a single game in with its familiar rules, tournaments and brilliant champions. Ie began some 1500 years ago, first as one of the world’s many strategy board games, but quickly transcending the cultural barriers of diverse civilizations, crossing international boundaries with remarkable fluidity. Somehow, this new game, with its ewo monarch Kings flanked by symmetrical forces of various powers and a forward row of foot soldicrs, “clicked” with a greater human concept of an ideal strategy game. This game of bactle became a conqueror itself, often supplanting other games as the new template for the symbolic intellectual challenge. Chess could be used for gambling, or enjoyed for no stakes at all; it was played on the street as a pastime and by merchants in their travels, even as it was refining the strategic judgment of the royal court, the analytic minds of mathematicians and the meditative minds of cloistered monks. All the while, the world's finest craftsmen have taken up the challenge of creating chessmen worthy of the game's exalted status, making the crafting of chessmen one of the world’s most enduring subjects of fine art. In this book, the reader is invited not only to celebrate chess as a monumental cultural event, but to actually learn to play the various games that have engaged the minds of chess players over theIntroduction 3 centuries. We think that with a modest investment these games will be found very easy to learn and very rewarding, It is a challenge to learn the language, or even the common customs, of a foreign land. But to open the window onto another culture through its unique form of chess play is simple. Our journey through the world of chess will begin with the earliest ancestors of our own chess, found in Persia, on through the early Arab world, branching into Central Asia and Mon- golia, We also follow chess as it traveled south, from Northern India, following the path of Bud- dhist monasteries into Burma, Cambodia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Another major branch of chess takes us across China, through the Korean peninsula, Then, our world cour will show the extraordinary crucible of chess ideas forged in Japan, where the most complex popular form of chess in the world, shogi, still thrives (though even with its complications, shogi was originally one of the simpler forms devised by che ancient Japanese monks). Finally, we follow the road of chess as it reached Europe through Italy and Spain, landing in fertile ground to mutate further and spread in its new form, along with other aspects of European civilization. Beyond history and long-established chess variants, we also peer into the modern world, and consider some of the more insightful innovations that have been offered by modern masters and inventors. The book concludes with an updated look at the birth of chess itself The authors hope that readers will find or create their own playing sets and get a real taste of these absorbing games, About This Book ‘This book is at once a broad introduction to the chess variants of the world, an updated account of the recent research into chess history, and a practical guide to anyone who would like to play the major chess forms that have arisen over the centuries. We have worked to achieve clarity and accuracy in every aspect, using the standard chess notation and diagrams familiar to chess players, with logical expansions to indicate the new pieces and board configurations for the various games. Diagrams and Annotation ‘Most of our diagrams and chess notation will use the familiar “algebraic” system, showing the chessboard as a series of columns, or files, lettered lefi-to-right a,b, ¢ ete., with the rows, or ranks, lettered bottom-to-top 1, 2, 3, ete. The various pieces will be notated in the standard form with King, Queen, Bishop, Knight and Rook indicated by K, Q, BN and R (note N for Knight because K is King). Pawn moves are indicated with the lack of a letter, so while “Ne3” means, “che Knight moves to the square in column e, row 3” just “e4” means, “the Pawn moves to e4.” ‘When we introduce other pieces, such as Camels, Princes or Elephants, we will give clear inseructions explaining their moves and how they are notated in our move descriptions. Some of the games presented in this book have their own traditional notation systems ‘These are explained in the text. Chess Terms ‘The words “diagonal” and “orthogonal” will often be used in deseribing the moves of pieces. While the word diagonal is commonly understood, we would like to clarify that orthogonal simply4 Introduction means the four directions forward, backward, left or right, like the cardinal points of the compass. For instance, the Rook moves any number of spaces orthogonally; the King moves one space cither diagonally or orthogonally. In other words, the King moves to any adjacent square. Value of the Pieces In learning chess, it is very useful for players to have a sense of the fighting value of the various pieces. Commonly, players of the modern game learn that a Pawn is worth 1, a Knight or Bishop 3, a Rook 5, and a Queen 9, We are fortunate to have a program, provided by Zillions of Games®, which analyzes our diverse games to give us approximate values of the playing pieces. With this information, beginning players can know at once where their power lies, and how to evaluate possible captures or trades. For uniformity, we use the Rook’s well-known value of 5 as, our standard, and adjust the other pieces according to that scale. This is convenient because, with the great diversity of chessmen and chess moves in these various games, there is almost always a piece with the exact power of our modern Rook, Chess History, Revisited Each game described here also includes a section on its history. Here, readers will find the most up-to-date information available, based on modern archeology and text investigation. H.R. Murray's great book, 4 History of Chess, still stands as one of the foremost resources for chess historians, even 100 years after its publication in 1913, but there has been so much research since then, and there have been so many advances in historic methodology, that we feel compelled to update and expand upon the long-held body of knowledge wherever possible.! Asa matter of special interest to historians and theorists, we focus on the often hotly debated question of the actual origin of chess. Much evidence has come to light since the question was first posed, “Where did chess come from?” We hope our review of the most recent evidence and theoretical thinking will leave our readers with a more complete view of what is known of chess’s origins—and a more sophisticated understanding of what questions remain unanswered. Gender In order to maintain the greatest simplicity in our presentation, we have relied on the tra- ditional English convention of using the male pronouns, he, him and his to indicate any player of any gender. While this avoids the awkwardness of proclaiming “he or she” and “his or her” at every turn, it is important to note that women and girls, as well as men and boys, carry asubstantial role in the propagation of chess in all ages, past, present and future. Ancient Texts ‘Many of the ancient manuscripts mentioned in the text are from international and ancient, languages, compelling us to make orthographic choices in spelling and presentation. For the most part, we have taken the most straightforward path, including diacritical marks only on words originally spelled with Roman lettering systems, but dropping that level of complexity in words translated from foreign systems.Introduction 5 ‘Where the titles of ancient texts are concerned, we have chosen the formats most preferred by international historians. Although this leaves some discrepancy with popular spellings and articulations, the reader should have no trouble finding further resources regarding the referenced texts. “The book concludes with some useful resources: a timeline of the major events in chess his- tory and development and a select bibliography of works recommended for further study and of great use in the creation of this book. There is, finally, a comprehensive index.This page intentionally left blank* ParTl ¢ Chess of the Arabian Nights ‘Our exploration begins as a search for the source of the game. The journey leads along the dusty caravan trails of the East, to a time when Iran shone as one of the world’s supreme super- powers, centered in the city of Ctesiphon (near modern Baghdad). Ik is widely understood that the Arabs brought chess to Europe during the High Middle ‘Ages. The Muslims had learned the game from the Persians, but quickly madeit their own, bring- ing it to cvery corner of the vast Arab Empire. Art and literature show that the chess of that time was widely practiced and highly esteemed. Not so often noted are the significant differences between the ancient Arabic game of chess and the chess we commonly play today. In particular, the pieces we know as Queen and Bishop had quite different identities in the ancient game, and had very different moves, giving them much less power on the board. With these differences, the science of expert play was approached in a completely different manner. The development of the game was certainly slower, but no less complex than the chess of today. In fact, checkmate itself—a word we get quite directly from the Persian shah mat—was quite rare, and there were other manners of winning the game. This game, known by its Arabic name shatrany, became widely known throughout central Asia, First taken from the Persians, it was carried by the Islamic armies across northern Africa, reaching into the southern tip of Spain. Shatranj spread out in almost every direction, extending southwest to the African coast, reaching back eastward into India, and traveling northward, up into the vase steppes of Turkic tribes and Mongolian horsemen. All that time, this early form of chess underwent many transformations. Arab manuscripts report numerous variants, often involving expanded playing surfaces and novel chessmen with newly invented powers of movement. It remains a mystery just how widespread these variants were in their day—especially those games reported by very few sources, Certainly, the popularity of many chess variants was experimental and fleeting —but some proved to endure with an aston- ishing longevity.8 Part I. Chess of the Arabian Nights 1. Shatranj How old is the game of chess? Ithas long been a matter of speculation, ranging from perhaps a few centuries back to millennia immemorial. But the oldest actual treatise we have, explaining the rules of the game, dates back only co the ninth cencury. That treatise is credited to the Arabs, in the court of the caliphs of Baghdad, who learned the game from the Persians during the seventh century conquests. The Persians, in turn, had a legendary account of learning the game from an Indian envoy, before the year 600. is sill he Arabic word for chess in the modern world, but we use it here to indi- cate the older form of chess, the cultural symbol of che brilliant young Arabic civilization which dominated the world from the banks of the Indus River to the foothills of the Pyrenees Moun- tains, and continued to expand its influence well beyond those borders. Throughout the Muslim world, kings, scholars, military leaders and intellectuals of all types developed a keen fondness for this tiny, symbolic battleground. Itwas the Muslims who first celebrated the great chess cham- pions and drafted the first treatises, raising this mere board game to the status of an art to be practiced and a science to be learned. Material Shatranj was played over a plain, un-checkered board of 8 x 8 squares. It was usually quite simple, sewn onto a piece of cloth, or even drawn directly on the ground. Each player had 16 pieces: 1 King, 1 Counselor (or General), 2 Elephants, 2 Horses, 2 “Rukhs”? and 8 Pawns. Names of the Shatranj Pieces Classical Arabic name Neo-Persian name Modern equivalent Shah, Nafi Shah King Firzan, Fire Dastur, Farzin Counselor Queen Fil Pil Elephant Bishop Faras Ap Horse Knight Rukbeh Rukh “Rukh” Rook Baidag Piyada Foot Soldier Pawn Shatranj board ready to play. KNowLION PHorocRarH Initial array of shatranj.1. Shatranj 9 ‘The sides were any two colors, most often red versus green, sometimes red versus black. Kings were always aligned face-to-face.> Rules Moves AND CapTures. ‘The basic rules of shatranj are similar to those in modern chess. The players take turns choosing to move any one piece, either toward an empry square or toward a square occupied by the opponent, in which case the opponent's piece is taken and removed from the chessboard. provided that this square is not under the threat of an adverse piece. As in the modern game, there is an obligation for the player to move his King out of check. Ifno possible move will save the King from capture, he has lost the game ‘The Counselor moves only one square diagonally. This move limits his moves to only half of the squares of a chessboard (the squares that would be of one color on a modern board). & The Elephant jumps diagonally over one square to land on the second diagonal ‘The King moves only one step toward one of the eight squares that surround it, square. It does not matter whether the square it leaps over is occupied. With this limited move, the Elephant can only land on cight squares of the entire board! Counselor and Elephant moves. LLITTITITT I ‘The Horse moves exactly like the modern Knight. It makes an L-shape of two squares in one orthogonal direction (that is, forward, backward or sideways) plus one step at a right angle. The Horse freely leaps over any pieces in its path. The “Rukh” moves just like the modern Rook. Ie travels any number of squares orthogonally (forward, backward, left or right), but may not jump over any pieces in its way. “The Pawn is the only piece which does not capture using its normal move. It nor mally moves one square forward, but captures by moving one square diagonally forward, This is the same as the Pawn in our modern game, but the ancient Pawn of shatranj is never allowed to move two spaces at once. bo 1K ES SPECIAL RULES. Pawn promotion: a Pawn reaching the last row (or rank) of the board imme- diately becomes a Counselor, even if one or more Counselors are already on the board. No other promotion is possible. Castling and en passant capture do not exist in shatranj.10 Part I. Chess of the Arabian Nights Left: Moves of the Rukh and Horse. Right: Moves of the Shah (King) and Pawn moves. END OF THE GAME. The goal of the game is to force surrender of the opposing King, or to leave him stranded with no fighters remaining. There are three ways to win the game: * Checkmate, in which the opponent cannot remove his King from check. The winner proclaimed Shah mat, “the King is lost” the expression thar directly led to our modern word, “checkmate.” # Suffocation (za’id) in which, the King is not in check, but any possible move will lead to his capeure. This is what we call “stalemate” in our modern game, but in shatranj, the suffocated King loses the game. * Bare King (Shah munfarid) is achieved by capturing all of the opponent's men except the King. If only the King is left, he has lost the game. There is one exception, however: if the King is left bare and on his very next move he can also capture the opponent's last piece, leaving both Kings bare, then the game is drawn, without a winner. ‘The game may also be drawn in these familiar ways: * Perpetual attack, If one player is intent on continually putting the other in check or otherwise attacking endlessly with continual repetition, a draw has been achieved. * Insufficient force. Ifit can be demonstrated or agreed that neither player has enough power on the board to force a win, the game must end without a winner. Strategy This game is certainly similar to modern chess but lacks the powerful move of the modern. Queen, the long diagonals of the modern Bishop, the double step of the Pawn, the choice to castle, and the decisively powerful promotion of the Pawn. These differences significantly alter one’s concept of the game and call for unique approaches to winning strategy. As the predecessors to our modern chess theorists, the ‘elivat, great masters, of the ninth and tenth centuries, established their own basis of chess theory. They developed a scale based on their currency, the dirhem, to rank the value of the various pieces. We can compare the ancient theorists’ assessment to evaluations calculated by a modern computer program which estimates the relative strength of playing pieces. In the table below, we have normalized all values to a familiar scale where the Rook is said to be worth five points,1. Shatranj uu Relative values of the shatranj piece given in the manuscripts, converted to the modern point system, and compared to the values calculated with Zillions-of-Games® software. Piece Arabic Arabic scale Software manuscripts in modern terms _ computation Rukh I dichem 5 5 Horse 2/3 dithem 3.33 29 Counselor 1/3 dithem 1.67 1.67 Elephant 1/4 dirhem 1.25 13 Pawns d,¢ 1/4 dirhem 1.25 07 Pawnsb,c.f,g 1/6 dirhem 0.85 Pawns a, h 1/8 dithem 0.63, 07 Rooks and Knights dominated the ancient chessboard. Rooks were the mightiest, with their grand sweep of the board, while Knights were dreaded for their disastrous forks. In contrast, Ele- phants and Counselors were essentially defensive pieces, protecting key squares in the midst of battle. Pawns were not underestimated; moreover, their promotion permitted the player to have several Counselors working together. Finally, the King enjoyed a greater relative strength in the old game, allowing him a stronger role in attacking the enemy. The Ta‘biyat (Ihe Openings) Just as in modern chess, the ancient theorists divided the game into three stages: opening, middle game and endgame. In the absence of powerfull Queens and Bishops, the opening of shatranj developed slowly. Therefore, the players took the time to organize their pieces according to a pre- conceived arrangement, called a ta’biya. The Arabic manuscripts developed several abiyat, bearing vivid names. The fastest of these openings were reached in a dozen moves and were recommended by +h great masters as al-Adli, as-Suli and al-Lajlaj. Every player had his favorite ta’biya. Several Ta’biyat “Moved to and fro.” “The old woman.”12 Part I. Chess of the Arabian Nights “The flanked” “The conjoined” Ie was always possible, of course, for the opponent to interrupt a player's favorite sa'bipa But in general, conflict did not begin between the two sides so rapidly, and each player was allowed to take time arranging things to his liking, The Mansubat ‘The middle game theory is passed over here, since the ancients left only a few general suggestions as to what to watch for. But the great bulk of the shatranj literature was given over to the endgame—finding a win, These endgame puzzles are known as the mansubat. Shatranj offers some very different endings from those to which modern players are accustomed. Real- ization of the mate is difficult—or even impossible—because of the limited moves of several pieces: the Counselors can only reach half of all squares of the board and the two never meet, while each of the four Elephants can only land on eight squares of the entire board—and they also never meet. Under these conditions, the player who knows how to “read” the accessible and non- accessible squares of this monochrome chessboard tries to place his pieces out of the opponent's reach, Most games end by baring the King, a much more common way of winning than check- mate. So it was that the endgame became the area most studied by the Arab and Persian masters of the Middle Ages. These mansubat, or “chess problems” were recommended to beginners to elves in the basic mechanisms of the game. More than 500 mansubat are known, all preciously collected, recorded and commented upon by Murray." immerse then The Maiden’s Problem Some mansubat are famous, such as the “Legend of Dilaram,;” which we owe to as-Suli (880- 946), a famous champion of the Abbasid caliphs Although the moral may escape the modern. reader, it tells of a chess player's wife, Dilacam, reportedly beautiful and clearly very clever, who saved a game for her husband, a prince, who had foolishly put her up as the stake in a game of shatranj. Ie wasn't going well, and for all appearances, he was about to lose the game and his lovely wife wich it ‘With a keen understanding of the game, and more than a litele anxiety about the possible outcome, she said to him, “Sacrifice your two Rukhs, but save me!" And, at least this once, he listened to her! The prince saw in a lash his necessary escape from what had seemed certain doom.1. Shatranj 13 White to play. The situation looks desperate. NOTATION K = King C = Counselor E = Elephant H = Horse R = Rukh 1. RAS+ Kxh8 2. E5+ Kg8 3. Rh8+ Kxh8 4. ¢7+ Kg8 5. HhG mate He won and kept his dear Dilaram, perhaps with alittle more caution and even alittle more respect for his ingenious partner. Black is checkmated. Dilaram’s Legacy ‘The name of this classic problem tells us that our heroine, Dilaram, has gone on to show her prowess on the chessboard more than once. I is extremely improbable thar the following position derived from an actual chess game, so as-Suli explains it in a very different format. He tells us ofa legendary tale, unrelated co chess, as a background: ‘An epidemic has spread through the White army, leaving the remaining White forces almost. entirely helpless. Seeing his opportunity for toral victory, the Black King sent his Counselor out toaccost the White King and bring him back to Black's royal court. But alas, the Counselor was not up to the mission. In his place, he commissioned two Foot Soldiers to advance toward the White King. The Black King found this utterly unacceptable and, in the manner of great despots through the ages, had his cowardly Counselor put to death. (Now we have explained the deci- mation of the White army, the advance of the two Pawns, and the disappearance of the Black Counselor.) ‘The story continues: Seeing all this, the desperate White King discerned that surrendering to the Black King would lead to certain death. He was highly motivated (and presumably coached14 Part I. Chess of the Arabian Nights by the brilliant Dilaram) to achieve an upsetting victory atall costs! Here is the position in which White finds himself: White to move. |_| | [| |] He knows that Black is merciless. With grim determination, White sends his zealous Horsemen out at midnight, charging straightway into the enemy camp. 1, Hxg7+ Kd8 2. Hxf7+ Ke7 A courageous assault—but can it last? The Black King runs to every available square: 3. He8+ Kb7 4. Hd8+ Ka6 5. He7+ KaS 6. Hb7+ Kad Finally, the White Counselor and Elephant are called upon to do the Black King in: 7. Cb3+ Ka3 8. Ecl mate Baring the Shah ‘The following problem is atcributed to another Arab champion, al~Adli, author of the first known treatise on the game, the Kitab ash-shatranj,® about 840 C.E. A classic problem, this shows just how clever the Arab masters could be, seeming to pull victories out of thin air. ‘The problem actually begins with a trap. White is allowing Black to fork his King and Coun- selor, by moving the Knight to e6. By all appearances, this is a final stroke, leading the game into ahopelessly even draw... A classical mansuba. Black plays ... and White wins.1. Shatranj 15 Lov, He6+ 2. Kg6 Hxf8+ Ie looks as if Black has succeeded in leveling the playing field, but now he loses perforce: 3. Kf7 Hh7 4, Hed! Notice that if White had played 4. Hxh7, Black would have still had one move to recapture with 4. ... Kxh7 and the game would have been drawn. But with the final move 4. He4, Black’s King cannot move at all, and every square the Black Knight may choose will lead to certain loss, White wins by bare King. The “Water Wheel” Problem Here is another famous mansuba, conveyed to us by the great Arab master al-Lajlaj.’ Ie is known as the “water wheel” problem, because the Horses actually force the Black King to circle the board twice, making 36 moves, before checkmating him on his home square, d8! The “water wheel” problem: White plays and wins. ° 1, Had+ Kb7 10. Hg5+ Ke2 19. Hb6+ Kd8 28. HfS+ Ke3 2. HaS+ Ke8 11. Hf4+ Kd2 20. Hb7+ Ke7 29. He2+ Kb3 3. Hb6+ Kd8 12. Hf3+ Ke3 21. He8+ Kf7 30. Hd2+ Kad 4, Hb7+ Ke7 13, He2+ Kb3 22. Hd8+ Kg6 31. He3+ KaS 5. He8+ K&7 14, H(xd4+ Kad 23, He7+ Kgs 32. Hb3+ Kb6 6. Hd8+ Kg6 15. He3+ Ka5, 24. HE7+ Kfa 33. Had+ Kb7 7. He7+ Kgs 16. Hb3+ Kb6 25. Hg6+ KES 34. HaS+ Ke8 8. Hf7+ Kfa 17. Ha4+ Kb7 26. Hg5+ Ke2 35. Hb6+ Kd8 9. Hg6+ KES 18. H(b)xe5+Ke8 27. Hf4+ Kd2 36. Hxe6 mate The beauty of this extraordinary combination gives a vivid example of the ingenuity and dedication of the very first chess problem composers. The History of Shatranj This direct ancestor to the chess we play today has an impressive history, deeply rooted in legacies and legends. Our earliest record of the game comes to us from the Persian Sassanid Empire, dated toward the end of the sixth century, Known as chatrang in ancient Persia, and mentioned in three epic Pahlavi texts, the game was said to be popular among the aristocracy, and stood among the noble arts that all princes of the court were required to master.16 Part I. Chess of the Arabian Nights FROM CHATRANG TO SHATRAN). Itis the oldest of the Persian texts that is most revealing. ‘The epic poem, Explanation of Chatrang and the Invention of Nard® written about 1500 years ago, describes in detail how chatrang was delivered to the court of King Khusraw I (531-579) by a royal envoy from Northern India. This classic legend tells us that the Persian court was given the set of chessmen and board, and challenged to determine —just from the playing apparatus— how the game was to be played. The Persians countered this challenge by presenting the Indian envoy with the game of nard—an ancestor to our modern backgammon—asking the Indian sages to figure shat one out. Not too surprisingly, this ancient Persian tale concludes with a Persian victory. The wise men of Khusraw I’ court discerned the rules of shatranj, while the Indian envoy was stumped by the counter-challenge. ‘This famous tale has often been repeated in books of chess lore, and it has been illustrated wich beautiful paintings and tapestries. But the modern researcher will regard such tales with caution. Following the possible Indian origins of the game, the Persian word chatrang is borrowed from the Sanskrie chatuxanga. This word dates back at to the third or fourth century B.C.E. and means “composed of four members.” It traditionally referred to the four divisions of the ancient Indian army: infantry, cavalry, elephants and war chariots. But alas, when references to chess are sought in ancient Indian literature, the trail becomes uncertain. These elusive clues are discussed later, when we explore the origins of chess. In any case, it is well established thae the Arabs gave the West the first texts detailing how the ancient game was actually played. Between the years 636 and 651, the Sassanid Persian Empire was attacked and ultimately defeated by invading Arab armies. Persia had risen to become one of the world’s great civilizations, boasting unsurpassed resources of wealth, knowledge and cultural refinements. Now these achievements and riches were to be passed to the Arab conquerors and, along with them, the noble martial game of chatrang, The game was adapted quite directly, simply changing the “ch” — which did notexist in Arabic—to “sh,” sim- ilarly making a small change to the ending, and calling the game “shatranj.” 7 he Shatranj at first assumed a low profile | in the Arab society. The eatliest Arabic ref erence to the game appears in a verse by the i . notoriously satirical poet al-Farazdagq (641- Y 7282). He merely mentions Pawns and f alludes to promotion—giving us just enough d information co assume that the game was generally familiar to his readers.’ But could this new Persian game be sanctioned by the leaders and cleries of Muslim law? A serious Replica of Islamic chessmen dated to the ninth Bey cemet ati ee and fon century. The tall figures on the left, which suggest Koranic jurists allowed the game to be a sort of throne, are Kings; the same shape, in _ Played under the conditions that it not be smaller form, indicates the Counselors. The Horse _ used for gambling and that it not interfere indicated by one protuberance (the head), while with the players’ regular religious duties. the Elephant has two points (the tusks). The Rukh py vere further advised ‘ is characterized by the V cut, presumably evoking 1 "*¢tS Were further advised to use simple, a chariot. And the Pawn is simple, small and bstract playing pieces, shunning the blas- unadorned. knowtron PHorocRArH phemous tendency toward idolatry displayedMap of the Islamic and Byzantine worlds around the year 900. by realistically carved figures.” This tendency toward abstraction proved to be a great benefit for the dissemination of the game, since pieces could be made quickly and easily. ‘As literature and science flourished under the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad, shatranj expe- rienced a revolutionary boost in popularity and stature. The best players of the day began traveling to Baghdad in search of fame and royal sponsorship. By the middle of the ninth cencury, discus- sions of shatranj could be found throughout Arabic literature, The tenth century saw shatranj immortalized in the writings of the great historians al-Ya'qubi, at-Tabari and al-Mas‘udi ‘The caliphs of the ninth and tenth centuries surrounded themselves with the greatest of champions. According to traditional accounts, the caliph al-Ma'mun (reign 813-833) enjoyed watching Rabrab Khata'i (a.k.a., Zairab),! Jabir al-Kufi and Abu’n-Na‘am play against cach other. ‘Those three shatranj champions are the first ever recorded, in manuscripts that survive to this day. Soon after the brightest masters were being recognized, they began composing treatises on the game. These were the first of the great chess writings, mingling histories and legends, conveying the correct rules of play, presenting variants (described later in the present work) and, most notably, developing the theoretical foundations of play. The most famous of these early chess writers were mentioned in ibn an-Nadim’s catalog ofall known Arabic books, the Kitab al-Fibrist, collected in 988. His catalog lists book titles by the ninth century masters al~'Adli and ar-Razi, as well as the great as-Suli and al-Lajlaj of the tenth century. The original works of those masters are now lost, bur their contribution was collected and recopied in some 15 manuscripts, between the 12th and 17th centuries. Using those materials, Murray, in the early 20th century, was able to reconstruct the teachings of the great Baghdad Caliphate masters, As the Arab conquests expanded further, the game of shatranj was carried to the borders of the Islamic Empire and transmitted even further, into Europe to the west, Russia to the north, ‘Africa to the south, and the further reaches of India to the east. In the Middle East, the tradition18 Part I. Chess of the Arabian Nights of theoretical study of shatranj did not survive beyond the Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad. ‘The last of the great theoreticians was the Persian ash-Shatranji, nicknamed after the game itself in honor of his invincible performance in the court of Timur, at the end of the 14th century. SHATRANJ IN THE MODERN ERA. While the late ISth and early 16th centuries saw the chess of Europe transformed by the modern moves of the Queen and Bishop, the Muslim authors were slower to adopt the modern changes. Among the last references to the old way of playing was a sermon given by ibn Sukaikir ad-Dimashqa, at the mosque of Aleppo, Syria in 1557. He expounded upon a tale of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent cheating a skilled blind player at shatranj. This discrepancy did not last for long, however, given the ongoing commerce and exchange along the banks of the Mediterranean Sea. By the early I8ch century, the major cities and trade centers of the Middle East were generally playing chess in accordance with the modern European conventions. But even as the powerful move of the Queen and the long diagonal of the Bishop came into common use, some traces of the shatranj rules persisted. Rules regarding Pawn moves, Pawn promotion, castling and winning of the game still followed the old shatranj traditions. ‘Thanks to the testimonies of merchants, diplomats and travelers, we can construct a general list of chess rules observed throughout Egypt, Persia, Constantinople and Algiers, through most of the 19th century. Here are the rules of shatranj in the modern era: ‘The King of one side faces the Counselor of the other. Most often the Kings are placed to the left on dl and e8, but in Persia they were usually on el and d8. * The Counselor moves any number of vacant squares, in all directions, Like the modern chess Queen. However, in Turkey, it was not unusual to find players who allowed the Counselor to also move with the Knight’ leap. + TheElephant moves any number of vacant squares diagonally, just like the modern chess Bishop. + The Pawn's double initial step is forbidden. * As longas he has not been moved and has never been put in check, the King can, just once in the game, jump like a Horse. In some cases, this move is replaced by a variant of castling: the King moves two or three steps toward the Rukh, and the Rukh jumps over the King, landing on any square up to the King's initial square of deparcure. © ‘The Pawn promotes upon reaching the opposite side of the chessboard, bur it may only promote to a piece that has already been captured. Iti, therefore, impossible to have two Counselors. # The game may be won by capturing all of the opponent's chessmen except the King, thereby winning by “bare King.” Curiously, the European visitors were more disoriented by the style of the chess set itself than by the differences in the rules, These travelers found great dif- ficulty in adapting to the monochromatic “un-checkered” chessboard, and especially in differentiating the various pieces from each other. Indeed, the abstract Muslim Brass abstract Muslim style pieces from Rajasthan. _ Style, widespread from Maghreb to North- KNOWLTON PHOTOGRAPH ern India, required a discerning eye in1. Shatranj 19 distinguishing the Bishop from the Knight, Queen or Rook, as each piece was a subrle variation of the same toadstool-shaped design. But in the deeper reaches of the old Islamic Empire, the old rules of shatranj persisted into the early 20h century. In areas of Central Asia, including Western Turkestan, among Muslim populations of the East Indies (who played what Murray called “Rumi chess”), and among the inhabitants of Ethiopia and Madagascar, chess was still being played in the ancient form just a century ago. Basically adhering to the rules of the ancient Arab shatran, these localities did adopt afew minor variations, detailed below. Modern Names of Pieces and the Game in the Predominant Middle Eastern Languages Arabic Persian Turkish Meaning Equivalent Malik Shah Sah King, Shah King Wazir Vazir Vezir Minister Queen Al Fil Fil Elephant Bishop Hisan, Faras Ab At Horse Knight Tabia, Qala Rokh, Qal’e Kale Castle Rook Askari, Bedag Piyade Piyon Soldier Pawn Shatranj* Shatranj — Satran Chess (Sharrang in Feyptian). Senterej: Ethiopian Chess Reaching to the southern tip of the Red Sea, shatranj found a home in the land of Abyssinia, known to the modern world as Ethiopia. According to accounts collected by the explorer Alessan- dro Zorzi, the game known in Amharic as senterej was seen played between a Venetian traveler and Lebna Dengel (a.k.a. Dawit II, 1508— 1540), the Ethiopian King of Kings (Negus Negest), in the early 16th Am”. aT Senterej in the Amharic alphabet. century. Three centuries later, in 1805, the English artist, antique col- lector and diplomat Henry Salt brought back the first detailed description of the game. According to Salt, Ras Wolde Selassie (1745~ 1816), Lord of Tigray, frequently played senterej with his relatives— and they always let him win! The most comprehensive review of the Ethiopian game are in the journals of the British consul Walter Plowden (1820-1860), written in 1848 and published twenty years later. The rules of the game and the names of the pieces, given below, show a strong Arabic influence. Material and rules ‘The traditional Ethiopian chessboard was usually red, with squares drawn by fine blue lines ‘The pieces were of an abstract Muslim style, usually turned in ivory. ‘To begin the game, the pieces were laid out in the same array as the shatranj pieces, except that the King—the Negus—was placed to the right of the Counselor—the Ferz. The remaining pieces, the Fil, Ferese, Der and Medeg had the same placement as the Elephant, Horse, Rukh and Pawn of shatranj, respectively. Al pieces had the same powers of move as those in the Arab game, but the beginning of this game was fascinatingly different. As the game commenced, each player was allowed to move20 Part I. Chess of the Arabian as many pieces as he wished, entirely disregarding the moves and move order of his opponent! This furious opening stage of the game, known as iverera, essentially corresponding to the Arabic ta‘biya, ended at once when a capture was made. From that point onward, moves preceded in turn, one move at a time—what we consider normal play. In addition to this novel opening, the game had end game rules which set it apart from the shatranj mainstream, It was not considered proper to leave one’s opponent with less than two fighting pieces other than Kings and Pawns. When the second:-to-last of these pieces was captured, leaving the opponent with only one such piece (only one Ferz, Fil, Ferese ot Der), the attacking player had only seven moves to achieve a checkmate. [Fhe failed to do so, the defender declared tories in this game were given the same value. A mate delivered by a Pawn (Medeq) was considered the most honorable. Mates achieved with the coordinated use of two Elephants (Fi were also considered excellent. However, mates delivered by the powerful Horse (Ferese) or Rukh (Der) were held in low esteem. Samantsy: Malagasy Chess ‘The Malagasy people, on the isolated island of Madagascar, learned of chess from the Arab merchants who came ashore in their traditional dhow trading vessels, The earliest apparent trace of samantsy, the Malagasy form of chess, was discovered in 1970, by archeologists digging at Rezoky, near Ankazoabo, in the southwest Atsimo Andrefana region of the island, The turned bone artifact, shown below, was found at a sive known to be occupied in the 16th and 17th cen- turies and which had been in contact with the Islamic world. ‘The first written record of samantsy is credited to Charles Paul Ardant du Picq, an ethnol- ogist and officer in the French colonial army. His article, published in 1912, tells us that this chess variant was practiced by the Tanalas—the “forest people” —of Ikongo, on the southeast part of the great island, Both samantsy and fizvorona—an original Malagasy form of checkers!*— were said to be a part of a prince’s education. Piece discovered in 1970 by the French anthropologist Pierre Vérin (1934-2010) Raby. 5.1 in Rezoky. He noted: “...seems to us to Co2m-At-4 be a piece of the former chess game PIECE EN OS — samantsy, as described by Ardant du Picq in the tkongo.” Material and rules ‘The nomenclature of the pieces is especially inventive. While the Arab Kingand Counselor here have become a King (Hova) and Prince (Anankova), the Elephants and Rukhs have become Guns (Basy) and Birds (Vorona). The Horse maintains its identity as a Farasy, but the Pawns in samantsy are mere Children (Zaza). ‘We understand that the moves of the pieces were that of shatranj. However, other moves and piece names have also been reported. According to an article by James Tattersfield published in 1938, the King was called a Chief (Mpanjaka), Rukh was a Crab (Foz) and Pawns were just2. Muslim Chess Variants 21 People (Vakoaka). According to this report, the Horse could leap two squares in any direction, and the Bird (Basy) moved like a modern Rook but leaped the first square of its move. This report is not entirely clear and has never been corroborated, but it docs demonstrate the mutability of shatranj as it traveled to distant lands. Names of Pieces at Senterej and Samantsy Senterej Samantsy —Shatranj_—_- Equivalent Negus Hova King King Ferz Anankova Counselor Queen Filor Saba Basy Elephant Bishop Ferese Farasy Horse Knight Der Vorona Rukh Rook Medeq Zaza Foot Soldier Pawn Unfortunately, as has happened to many of the world’s chess variants, : é these two variants are no longer played in their native regions. It seems that aki the African continent, birthplace of many of the world’s greatest board | games, no longer maintains its indigenous forms of chess." james are invented, thrive and die, Shatranj did not escape this fare, | Shatraniin the Games are invented, ¢ s ij iP ‘Arabic alphabet. ‘The chess of today owes almost everything to its ditect predecessor, but to modern players the game is all but forgotten, Sell, we are forcunate to have the contributions of the Arab masters, from their carly manuscripts. All of these ancient studies lie dormant, waiting for the day a new generation of shatranj players brings them back out into the light. 2. Muslim Chess Variants Persian and Arabian authors of the Middle Ages showed great interest in shatranj variants These Eastern adaptations of the game, unlike many variants proposed by European authors, always kept the traditional pieces with their traditional moves. What was changed then, was the shape of the board—and in some cases, new pieces had to be added to fill out the opening array. ‘These variants were respected versions of chess, and were well noted by scholars such as al-Mas‘udi in the tenth century, and al-Amuli four centuries later. Conveyed in literature, these variants spread throughout the Muslim world as important aspects of medieval chess. Complete Chess ‘One of the first ideas to caprure the imagination of the early Muslim chess innovators was to adopt an enlarged 10 x 10 board. Over several centuries, a number of such attempts were made to “improve” upon shatranj. Finally, a favorite seems to have emerged, known as shatranj at-tamma, This translates as “complete chess,” perhaps indicating that it had achieved the number 10, the base of the decimal counting system, creating a perfect board of 100 squares. V4 played on such a board are often referred to as “decimal chess.”22 Part I. Chess of the Arabian Material “The game is played on a plain, uncheckered 10 x 10 square board. Each player has 20 chess- men consisting of the regular shatranj pieces, plus two extra Pawns and two Dabbabas (literally, “Siege engines").!* The Arabic and Persian manuscripts explain that this Dabbaba piece is as tall as the Counselor and the Elephant. Starting array of shatranj at-tamma. Rules ‘This game follows the rules of shatranj, with these few changes: Dabbaba: moves like a King, one step in any of the eight directions. Unlike the &® King, the Dabbaba is not limited by “check”; it may be threatened and captured like any other piece, ‘Three rules differ from standard shatranj: * Pawn promotion: a Pawn teaching the last row promotes to a Counselor, but a player may not have more than one Counselor on the board at any given time. Ifa Pawn promotes while the Counselor is still on the board, that Counselor must be removed from its present position and placed on the Pawn’s promotion square. + Half-victory: if « King succeeds in reaching the original square of the adverse King, his owner wins a victory—but of lower esteem than a normal win, When the game was played for money, the winner took only half of the stake. * Bare King: unlike standard shatranj, the bare King, lefe with no other chessmen of his own on the board, has not lost the game. The game goes on, just as it would in modern chess. “There are only two ways to win the game: checkmate, in which the King is in check and cannot save himself, and stalemate, in which the losing player is not in check, bue still cannot make any legal move. Tactics ‘Our computer analysis gives these relative values to the pieces: Rukh (5), Dabbaba (3.1), Horse (2.55), Counselor (1.45), Elephant (1.15), and Pawn (0.5). The new piece, the Dabbaba, is appreciably stronger than the Horse but remains inferior to the Rukh, which possesses greater power on this enlarged chessboard. The Arab authors agreed with this analysis, assigning a value of 5/6 dithem to the Dabbaba—equivalent to a scaled value of 4.15.2. Muslim Chess Variants 23 Decimal Chess with Camels In his famous epic of 1011, the Shahnama, the Persian poet, Firdawsi, declared that chess had been invented by the legendary Indian prince named Gaw. The poct insisted that in the ancient times, when chess was first conceived, men were superior in quality to those of his day and played a form of chess that was much larger and more complex. He described this game as being played on a board of 100 squares, with two additional Pawns and with two Camels (Shuur), placed between the Horse and the Elephant. Firdawsi explained, “Like Elephants, the Camels advance three squares.” This reflects the older style of counting squares, which includes the square of departure. We would take this to mean that the Camel moved two squares, jumping over the first square whether it was occupied ‘or not, and landing on the second. Unfortunately, this is the only explanation given in the ancient text, but we are able co reconstruct very sensible game by assuming thar the Camel’s move was orthogonal (forward, backward, right or left), making ic che perfect, complement of the moves of the Horse and Elephant. We also know from the original poem that the Pawn was promoted to a Counselor—but instead of placing the new Counselor on the square the Pawn had landed upon, the player was given liberty to place iton _Gaw’s chess array according to Firdawsi. any vacant square adjacent to his own King. ‘The possibility of expanding the chessboard to a 10 x 10 size and adding novel pieces has ‘occurred many times in the history of chess. More examples are found in this book: expanded Indian variants, the Mongolian game hiashatar, Carrera’ chess and Piacenza’s archi-chess. Persian miniature illustrating Firdawsi’s Shahnama (Iran, early 14th century). Citadel Chess This later adaptation of the large 10 X 10 chess was quite popular; it was described in several Arabic manuscripts of diverse origins. The game was called shatranj al-husun, citadel chess, in reference to the special squares added on to give the King a safe refuge.‘The game is played on a large chessboard of 100 squares, plus four “citadels” (huswn), squares in the four corners (sce illustration). Some sources show these squares placed on the right and left sides of the Rukh squares, or behind the Rukh squares, and some show them attached diagonally, as in our diagram. There are 20 chessmen on each side, much like the arrangement of shatranj at-tamma (com- plete chess). In this game, the Kings usually face each other, as in the diagram, but some sources show them facing che Counselors, for instance, with Kings on fl and ¢10, The additional piece is known as a Dabbaba. These pieces may begin between the Ele~ phants and the Kings or Counselors (as shown here), bur some sources show them starting on the outside Starting array of shatranj al-husun. of the Rukhs, in the a and j files, with the normal shatranj array between them in files b through i. Although the Dabbaba has the same name as the extra piece in complete chess, this one has avery different move. | Dabbaba: moves any number of unoccupied squares in the diagonal directions, exactly like the modern Bishop. “The rules of play are exactly like those of shatranj, with this exception: + King Escapes: if a King succeeds in reaching one of the special citadel squares on the opponent's side of the board,® he has escaped persecution and the game is drawn. On the strength scale, this new piece stood again between Rukh and Horse: Rukh (5), Dab- baba (3.5), Horse (2.15), Counselor (1.4), Elephant (1.15), Pawn (0.5). Oblong chess Shatranj al-mustatila, oblong chess, is mentioned in several Arabic manuscripts. The elongated board fit well on the flip-side of a board used for playing nard—an ancient version of our modern-day backgammon, Also, like nard, this chess variant could be played with dice. “The chessmen are those of regular shatranj; however, the game is played on a4 x 16 square board. Several other starting positions have been reported, Here are six more arrays given by Murray: Left: Starting position at shatranj al-mustatila.2. Muslim Chess Variants 25 el T The) tesfelet TT | Six starting arrays for Shatranj al-mustatila, oblong chess.26 Part I. Chess of the Arabian From these examples, the initial array has a good bit of variety. But we can also see some consistency: the Pawns are arranged in two complete lines, as far back as the second rank, and as far forward as the seventh rank. All other pieces are arranged between the first and third ranks. The King and Counselor are always beside each other on the b and c files. Rukhs are placed sym- mettically on the outer files, a and d; Horses are on the inner files, b and ¢; and Elephants are sometimes on the inner and sometimes on the outer files. The corners are occupied either by the Rukhs or by the Elephants. The opposing sides reflect cach other with the same configuration, sometimes with the Kings facing one another and sometimes with the Kings facing the Coun- selors. Rules The moves of the chessmen are the same as those in the game of shatranjs however, in this, variant, a die is often employed to determine which of the pieces is to be moved. Each of the six numbers is associated with a particular sore of piece, as follows: 6 = King, 5 = Counselor, 4 = Elephant, 3 = Horse, 2 = Rukh and 1 = Pawn. Ifa player finds that his King is in check, he must roll a number that allows him to get out of check, usually a 6 in order to move the King. If he does nor get the necessary roll, his turn must pass withouta move. Depending upon the subsequent rolls of the dice, the King will either have the opportunity to escape, oF the opponent will succeed in capturing the checked King, thereby winning the game. ‘Note that oblong chess also makes a fine game without dice, played by the normal rules of shatranj. Tactics “The use of the die in this game introduces some important strategic considerations. First, the King must avoid being threatened, since even one unlucky check could be fatal. ‘To achieve this, he tstally stays in the back ranks, well protected. Second, on the offensive side, the player must mobilize his forces as quickly as possible in an attempt to be the first to threaten and ulti- imately capeure the enemy King. But when the game is played without a die, a very different approach is prescribed. The King becomes a powerful fighter, often employed as a serious attacking piece, charging headlong into the fray. Pawn promotion on the long board becomes a remote consideration, and these small fellows are quickly sacrificed for positional advantage. Horses and Elephants also lose stature on the long board, since they take several moves to reach the enemy, and lose mobility on the narrow board. ‘The Rukh, however, gains a significant advantage, dominating the long 16-square files and reaching deep into enemy territory. Counselors hold about the same value as in regular shatranj, With all of these considerations, estimates of the pieces relative powers become: Rukh (5), Horse (2.45), Counselor (1.5), Elephant (0.95) and Pawn (0.65). Shatranj, which normally develops more slowly than the modern game, adapts very well to play on the elongated board. Modern chess players will generally prefer the familiar strategic challenges of the game played without a die, bue playing with a die still offers a stimulating alter- native,2. Muslim Chess Variants 27 Byzantine Chess ‘The spectacle of chess laid out on a circular board has drawn in many choughtful chess dreamers over the centuries. Even today, clever tinkerers often come up with circular chessboards, as “new” variants on the chess theme. In fact, circular chessboards can be dated back at least a thousand years to Arabic manu- scripts. The Arabs attributed circular shatranj to Byzan- tium, In their view, chess played on the square board was from the “Indian” East, while chess played in the round was from the “Roman” West. Baghdad players were considered to stand at the center of the world. Initial array of Byzantine chess. Material ‘The chessboard is circular, composed of 64 curved “squares” arranged in four concentric rings. Each player has a full shatranj set of 16 chessmen, arranged as shown in the diagram. Note that the King of one side faces the Counselor of the other. Rules This game follows the rules of shatranj, with the Pawn proceeding outward and around the circle, toward the opponent's side. There are special rules, brought about by the “endless” circular board: * The Pawns do nor promote, but continue to go around the circle endlessly. * IF two Pawns from the same side (two Black or two White Pawns) circle around to meet each other face-to-face, their journey is finished and they are immediately removed by the opposing player. The game continues without them. Variant with Citadels ‘There is an interesting variant of this game which utilizes the special refuges found in citadel chess. Note thae in this variane, the initial array is reversed, so that the King and Counselor occupy the outer ring, with the Rukhs closest to the center. Also, note that the cen- ter circle is divided into four quarters. This variant follows the same rules of play as the circular game described above, but here—just as in citadel chess—a desperate player may claim a draw if he can get his King into the quarter-circle—the citadel jnitial array, with citadels in the center (busun)—on the opponent’ side of the board. of the board.28 Part I. Chess of the Arabian Tactics Although very different in appearance, the circular board is topologically similar to the clongated 4 x 16 board of oblong chess. Playing on a field of only four squares wide, Pawns can be especially obstructive, Horses and Elephants have limited range, and Rukhs become all the more powerful. In fact, an unobstructed Rukh can circle the entire board, landing on its original square—an elegant way for a player to “pass” without changing the position on the board. ‘The relative value of the pieces has been calculated as follows: Rukh (5), Horse (1.75), Counselor (1), Elephant (0.7) and Pawn (0.45). Unlike other shatranj variants, the circular game allows the Elephants and the Counselors to confront and possibly capture each other. ‘When the circular game is played with citadels, the possibility offered by these refuge areas can give the game a very different dynamic. Just as the player in a compromised position enjoys the possibility of drawing the game by reaching the opponent's citadel, the attacking player must use all means possible to block the weakened King and checkmate him before he can escape. Ieis likely that modern players will find this game especially intriguing, and more immedi- ately engaging than the oblong variant. In the circular format, the opposing forces encounter each other quickly, and a diversified struggle on the right and left flanks quickly ensues. History of the Muslim Chess Variants Although the fundamental 8 x 8 form of shatranj enjoyed continued popularity, these alter- native forms appeared very early in the game's history. In fact, all of the ancient Muslim treatises included such variants, along with ta’biyar, mansubat, chess origin legends and discussion of chess under Muslim law. Even the famous Arab historian al-Mas'udi named a few shatranj variants in his encyclopedia, Murij adh-dhahab (the Meadows of Gold). In that text of 947, he mentions shatranj at-tamma, as-sudiya, al-mustatila, alemuddawara, al-jawarbiya and al-falakiya. Some of these variants are well documented—and some are not! SOME ENDURING QUESTIONS. A cloud of mystery still obscures those chess variants which are found mentioned but never fully explained. Shatranj as-su'diya, meaning “from Upper Egypt,” is especially mysterious. It is known that the game was played on an 8 x 8 “Indian” chessboard, and that the Pawns did not promote—but then the manuscript breaks off, leaving us to wonder what form this revered game may have taken. Another intriguing variant, shatnanj al-jawarhiya, “anatomic chess,’ was played on a7 x 8 squares board with 6 pieces on each side, representing the functional body parts: the mouth to speak, the ear to hear, the eye to see, the hand to catch, the leg to walk and finally, the heart to sustain life, A tantalizing description! But unforcunately, not enough information is available to guess what form this game may have taken. ‘The sun, moon and constellations of the zodiac play a part in shatranj al-falakiya, “celestial chess,” bur the Arabic texts give no description of the rules, board or pieces. Even so, one may surmise that this refers to the game later known as escaqites, described in the Libro de los juegos (Book of games), 13th century codex prepared under the King of Castile, Alfonso X. That game is discussed in a subsequent chapter. Copter CHESS. Al-Mas'udi mentioned the existence of a game invented by al-Khalil (718— 791), an author known for his seudy of musical harmony. He remains the earliest documented2. Muslim Chess Variants 29 inventor to work at improving the game by adding an extra piece. This novel chessman was a Camel (Jamaf)—but, alas, its move was not recorded. ‘The historian’s lukewarm report tells us that “some of the crowd of chess players played with it, but afterward it was laid aside.” ALMas'udi also described shatranj at-tamma, “complete chess” which is incidentally men- tioned in many Arabic and Persian chess manuscripts. Although the oldest of these treatises is daved 1140, the evidence assures us that the game reaches back to al-Adli in the middle of the ninth century, before al-Mas'udi’s time. The 10 x 10 chessboard inspired many enthusiasts, includ- ing the Persian poet Fitdawsi, who wrote of this “decimal chess” shortly after the year 1000. OBLONG CHESS. The 4 x 16-variant, shatranj al-mustarila, must also be regarded as one of the oldest on record. Also known as af-tawila (long) or al-mamduda (lengthened), oblong chess is attributed in Muslim manuscripts to al-'Adli as the original source of the game—a plausible hypothesis. Iftruc, oblong chess holds claim to being the oldest known variant played with dice. Circurar Cress. The oldest accounts from Muslim texts tell us that circular chess (shatranj al-muddawara) was conveyed from Byzantium by a man named al-Harrani. The game was pre- sented to Tahir ibn Husayn (died 822), governor of Mesopotamia during the Abbasid Caliphate. According to al-Mas‘udi’s account, circular chess was also known as shatranj ar-rumiya,™ referring to its Byzantine origin, But this tentative trail leaves an open question, since no direct evidence can be found to affirm that the circular game was actually played in Byzantium. But the Byzantines certainly did play chess, known there by the Greek name of zatrikion (Carpixzoy). Murray asserts that it was received directly from the Persians before the ninth century, since the name of the game derives from the Persian chatrang, rather than the later Arabic sha- wranj According to the Persian historian at-Tabari (838-923), a chess-based insult was hurled in 802 between the East Roman Emperor Nikephoros I, and the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Nikephoros, successor to the throne of Empress Irene, resented the tribute he was called upon to pay Harun. He declared that Irene had been guilty of a “very feminine weakness” when she cast Harun as a Rukh and herself as a mere Pawn. Nikephoros insisted that now Harun was the Pawn and he, Nikephoros, should be the one receiving tribute, Harun replied with a metaphor and response of his own, Writing to the “dog of the Romans,’ the caliph proclaimed, “Thou shalt not hear, thou shalt behold my reply!"® He marched with his army and heavily defeated the Byzantine in the battle of Krasos at Anatolia. Evidence of chess from Byzantium itself is scarce.” Chess is mentioned in a 10th century treatise on dreams; it appears later as an object of Persian or Assyrian luxury in a biography of Emperor Alexis I, written by his sister, Anna Komnene (1083-1153). Around the same time (1118), the first condemnation of chess by the Greek Church is recorded. Apparently, some oth- erwise devout fellows had been spending too much time on chess, as well as dice and drink, ‘There is in fact a lack of evidence for an authentic Byzantine source of circular chess. It seems most likely that chess in Byzantium was much like the shatranj played in other regions, ona square board. The round board may well have been of Arab origin. The Arab Empire, having pushed its borders to the limits of the known world, had acquired a taste for the exotic and mys- terious, Various cultural effects, such as chess, found themselves attributed to easily referenced regions of the empire—and it would be hard to untangle the truc history based on the popular parlance. Where chess was concerned, there was a literary logic that the circular “Roman” chess stood in opposition co the square “Indian” chess, That from the West was considered modern and fast-paced; that from the East, the older and slower variety.30 Part I. Chess of the Arabian VARIANTS WITH CITADELS. Another important source of Oriental chess variants is the Nafivis al-fuonun (Treasury of the sciences), an extensive encyclopedia composed by the Persian al- Amuli between the years 1335 and 1342. This great work contains three chapters devoted to chess and describes five historic variants: shatranj at-tawila, al-muddawara, al-husun, al-kabir and al-filakiya, The list parallels that given by al-Mas‘udi in 947, with one addition of special interest. The game of shatranj al-kabir (great chess) is a newer variant; itis impressive and has been given its own chapter. Of particular interest in al-Amuli’s encyclopedia is che introduction of variants with citadels—the safe havens which allow a possible draw to the losing player. Both complete chess (chen called citadel chess, shatranj al-husun) and circular chess included this interesting addition. In accordance with this tendency, great chess (shatranj al-kabir) also has a board with citadels. Notice that citadel chess also introduces a new chess piece, which moves freely along the diagonals—apparently a complement to the Rukh’s long range in the orthogonal directions. It would be a bit of an historical sercech to make that assumption. The long diagonal move of the Persian piece arose quite remotely from the European Bishop move, which can be traced to Spain. In fact, the long diagonal move never did take hold of the chess mainstream in Persia as it did a century lacer in Europe. Perhaps a deciding factor in the enduring success of the European Bishop’s long diagonal move was the fact that European chessboards, unlike those of other lands, were checkered in alternate colors, making the diagonal lines of the board much more apparent. A Long Tradition of Chess Variants Several of the variants described above were astonishingly long-lived. The Persian historian ibn ‘Arabshah reported that both oblong and circular chess were played at Timur’s court in Samarkand around the year 1400. Considering the evidence that oblong chess existed in the mid~ninth ceneury, this is a game that lasted more than 500 years! Circular chess lasted even longer, and seemed to keep coming back in new contexts. Adapted to modern rules, with the modern European moves of Queens and Bishops, it Hourished again in India at the beginning of che I8th century, and then in Europe, where the Englishman Dave Reynolds founded the Circular Chess Society in 1996, which holds world championships to this day. Decimal chess—those variants played on the 10 x 10 board—also reveals a long legacy of endurance and reinvention. It would be possible to trace a long line of decimal variants, unin- tetrupted from the earliest reference to the present day. With such a continual history, itis clear that these variants hold much to be admired and enjoyed by game lovers of all epochs. is tempting to suppose that this led to the move of the modern Bishop, but 3. Timur’s Great Chess Permanencly damaged by a hip injury in childhood, he spent his life with a marked limp. He was descended from a Turco-Mongol tribe in the Sogdian steppes, in the area known today as Uzbekistan. And he considered himself the heir to Genghis Khan.3. Timur’s Great Chess 31 ‘Timur-i Lang (“Timur the Lame,” corrupted as “Tamerlane” seized Genghis Khan's legacy of power and domination, and became one of the cruelest and most dreaded conquerors the world has ever seen. In his lifetime, this ruler of Transoxiana conquered all of Central Asia and the Middle East. He ravaged Smyrna, Damascus, Baghdad and Delhi. Finally, at the age of 69, poised to mount an invasion of China, his life was taken by a fever. It is estimated that 5 percent of the world’s population perished in the wake of his fury. In his quiet hours, Timur was a noted patron of the arts, and loved to play chess. As befit aman of his grandeur, he shunned the traditional shatranj, which he derided as ash-shaghir (“small chess”), and insisted upon shatranj al-kabir (“great chess”). This expanded chess form, often known as Tamerlane chess, is traditionally attributed to the conqueror himself, and stands among the most significant of the historic variants. Material ‘The chessboard has 112 squares, arranged in 10 rows and 11 columns, with one “citadel” square adjoined to camp. Each player has 28 pieces: 1 King, 1 Counselor, 1 Vizier, 2 Giraffes, 2 Scouts, 2 Horses, 2 Rukhs, 2 Dabbabas, 2 Camels, 2 Elephants and I Pawns. Unlike mose chess variants, the Pawns of Timur’s great chess have individual identities which affect their possible promotion. Originally, each Pawa was a miniature representation of the larger piece with which it was associated. The Pawns, from left co right, are: the Pawn of Pawns (a3), the Pawn of Dabbabas (b3), the Pawn of Camels (c3), the Pawn of Elephants (d3), the Counselor's Pawn (e3), the King’s Pawn (f3), the Vizier’s Pawn (g3), the Pawn of Giraffes (h3), the Pawn of Scouts (i3), the Pawn of Horses (j3) and the Pawn of Rukhs (3) Names of the Chessmen in Timur’s Great Chess Arabic name New Persian name Meaning Wazir Wazir Vizier, Governor Dabbaba Dabbaba Siege engine Talia Tlie Scour" Jamal Shutur Camel Zurafa Zurafa Giraffe Several initial arrays have been used. These two arrays were reported in 1851 by the Orien- talist Nathaniel Bland, The first is considered “masculine” and the other “feminine.” The masculine array was more common: Starting position of Timur's great chess—the “masculine” array.Starting position of Timur’s great chess—the “feminine” array. “The Muslim scholar‘Arabshah gives usa third possible arrangement, as witnessed by a man- uscript dated 1451, held in the Bibliochéque nationale de France in Paris, Note that this arrange- ment does not include the citadels. Opening array for Timur’s Great Chess, found in the Bibliotheque nationale de France. In cach of these arrays, both players arrange the Pawns in the same order—left to right Unlike the other pieces, the Pawns do not mirror each other across the board. Rules Moves AND CaPTUurES. « King, Counselor, Horse, Rukh, Elephant and Pawn move and capture as in shatranj. I> by SID Vizier: moves one square orthogonally—one step forward, backward, left or right. Dabbaba: jumps two squares orthogonally (forward, backward, left or right), regardless whether the intervening square is occupied. The Dabbabas can only reach 30 of the board’ 110 playable squares; the Elephant in this game can reach only 15. Camel: can be considered to have an extended Knight's move. Ie cravels 3 squares in an orthogonal direction, plus 1 step at a right angle (see diagram, below). Like a Knight, che Camel may jump over any intervening pieces. Giraffe: has a very peculiar move! It begins by taking one step diagonally, then proceeds orthogonally (moving away from its original square); however, it may not land on the first three squares it comes to—it must complete its move on the fourth square, or further (see the diagram below). Unlike the Horse, Dabbaba and Camel, the Giraffe may ot jump over any pieces it its path. Scout: moves diagonally like the modern Bishop with a major difference: he can- not move only one square; he must always move two or more squares. He may not leap over that first forbidden square if it is occupied.®*3. Timur’s Great Chess 33 Moves of the Vizier, Dabbaba and Camel. Move of the iffe. (It passes over the squares marked “x” and can be blocked by any piece on those squares.) Move of the Scout. (It can also be blocked by a piece on the squares marked “X.") Each player’s Dabbabas, Camels and Scouts cover the same selected squares on the board. ‘Two Dabbabas, for instance, can stand two squares apart, protecting each other. But these pieces can never meet and capture the same sort of pie ¢ from the opponent's side. For instance, a Dab- baba will never have the opportunity to capture an opposing Dabbaba. Pawn PROMOTION. © General Rule: Upon reaching the end of the board, a Pawn promotes to become the piece with which it is originally associated (exceptions follow). # The King’s Pawn is promoted to a Prince (Shabzada). It moves like a King but is not limited by threats of check and may be captured like any normal piece * The Pawn of Pawns promotes through this rather complex process © (1) Upon arriving at the last row, it remains immobile and cannot be captured. On any subsequent turn, the player may pick that Pawn up, and place it upon any square of the34 Part I. Chess of the Arabian board, free or occupied, from which it either threatens a piece which cannot escape (has no possible square to move to), or forks two pieces (threatens two pieces at once, thus forcing the capture of one). If that square is occupied by a piece, which may be friend or foe—but not a King—the displaced piece is removed from the board. © (2) Upon reaching the last row for the second time, itis placed immediately on the starting square of the King’s Pawns © (3) Finally, when it reaches the last row for the third time, the Pawn becomes an “Adventitious King” (Shab masnuia). This piece moves just like the Prince, that is, like the King but nor limited by “check” and is able to be captured like other pieces. END OF THE GAME, © Citadels: only the King may enter the enemy citadel. If he suceceds, the player may declare a draw—or he may switch the position of his King with his own Prince or Adventitious King (if the player possesses at least one of these) and the game continues. No piece can enter its own citadel except the Adventitious King. In this case, he can prevent the enemy King from entering and declaring a draw. © Escape of the King: once during the game, a King who is in check, checkmate or stalemate can switch his position with one of his own pieces. This privilege occurs only once for each player, so it should be used wisely. (Ic is assumed that the exchange is not permitted with an Adventitious King who is occupying his own citadel.) * Winning the Game: the goal of the game is the forced capture of the adverse King, by check= mate or stalemate, who has exhausted the escape option described above. The bare King (all pieces captured except che King) is not a victory in itself because the King can still ery to reach the opposite citadel for a drawn game. Tactics ‘The game consists of nine sorts of pieces, in addition to the King and the Pawns. The Persians sorted them into three movement types, each with three levels of power: Power / Class Straight Oblique Mixed. Ist level Vizier Counselor Horse 2nd level Dabbaba Elephant Camel 3rd level Rukh Scout Giraffe With the exception of the Horse, the leaping picces fall into the second level of the table. ‘The third level pieces do not have the leaping privilege; they can be blocked by any piece along their path. Consequently, they are much more useful later in the game, when many pieces have already been captured. With its eight-way attack, the Giraffe can be especially dangerous. Placed across from an undefended King, the Giraffe can lock him into a single file, making him extremely vulnerable. ‘The value of the chessmen is calculated as follows: Rukh (5), Horse (2.6), Camel (2.3), Giraffe (2.25), Vizier (1.65), Counselor (1.5), Dabbaba (1.45), Scout (1.2), Elephant (1.15), Pawn (0.6). History Because of its extensive documentation by Anglo-Saxon historians and Orientalists, Timur’s {great chess has become the best-known of all the great chess variants. The English linguist Duncan Forbes granted it a complete and enthusiastic survey in his treatise History of Chess (1860).3. Timur’s Great Chess 35 ‘The first known record of this form of chess appears in a sketch found in Treasury of the Sciences, compiled before 1342 by Muhammad ibn Mahmud al-Amuli. Not long after that pub- lication, in 1369, Timur seized the throne in Samarkand, ultimately conquering —and destroy- ing—large parts of Asia. His biographer, ibn ‘Arabshah (died 1450), bequeathed to us a striking description of Timut's passion for chess. For instance, he baptized his son (who later succeeded him to the throne) with the name Shahrukh, because a messenger had come to announce the child's birth just as Timur was mating an adversary with a Rukh. We also learn from ‘Arabshah that the “small” chess could not satisfy his master’s overly excited mind and therefore Timur preferred to play “large” chess, shatrany al-kabir. The best play- crs of the empire were invited to take lodging at his court and he liked to challenge the strongest among them, Ali ash-Shatranji of Tabriz, to this giant variant. ‘The rules of Timur's great chess come to us from a Persian manuscript translated by the Royal Asiatic Society (founded in London, 1823).** The document is actributed to Hajji Khalifa (died 1658), but the original author may have been the great champion ash-Shatranji. In addition to instructions on the rules of the great game, the author presented its supposed history—more the stuff of legend co the modern reader. He explained thae this “perfect” chess with 56 pieces, shatranj kamil, had been invented by the Greek sage Hermes and introduced to India by Alexander the Great and his army. He ‘went on to opine that because the Indians were incapable of mas- tering such a complex game, the philosopher Sassa reduced the game to 32 pieces on a board of 64 squares and offered it to his king, Kaid. A bit of nationalistic fervor seems to have crept into his account, but these comments do suggest that the game was widespread even in the Mth and 15th centuries. Iris likely that the exact moves of the “extra” pieces—those different from the standard shatranj lincup—had some differences in various times and locations.® This view is reinforced by differ- ing reports about the opening array and even by the sheer diffi- culty of describing some of the moves. The board itself has been recorded with the citadels in different locations and different quantities (4, 2 or none at all), and the number of ranks have been shown as 10, 1] or 12. Only the width of the board, 11 files across, has been consistent. Still, wich all of its potential variety, Timur-i Lang (the Lame) or ° Tamerlane, the “Iron” Emir of there is enough consistency in literature to consider all of these Tyansoxiana, portrait by Adri- possible variations of “great chess” which has taken Timur's name. anus Canter Visscher, 1700. Variant: Timur’s Great Chess, Completed Looking further into the variants of Timur's great chess, here is an interesting case of even more pieces being added, actually filling in the spaces left by other arrangements, and adding three novel Pawns to the fourth rank as well. This comes from a Persian manuscript designated as Elliot 274, arcributed to al-Amuli. The ‘game includes an Explorer (Kashshaf)* starting on the square fl, a Lion (Shir) on jl and a Camel (Shutur) on il. Unfortunately, the script which indicates the remaining novel pieces is, according to Murray, illegible. We do however have another source: the Arabic manuscript 7322 in the36 Part I. Chess of the Arabian Nights British Museum (London) reproduced from a work by ‘Arabshah—written during the reign of Timur. Reproduction of the drawing of Timur’s Great Chess, Completed, irom the British Museum manuscript MS7322. This interesting array is reproduced in a simpler standard format, below. On the first rank there is an Explorer (Kashshaf) on fl, two Lions (sad) on bl and jl and two Bulls (Thaur) on di and h1. There is also something rather peculiar: a third Horse has replaced the Camel on cl. This odd placement of an extra Horse almost seems like a mistake—but the same pattern is repeated across the board with a Horse placed on il0. In the second rank is an Aquatic Monster (Luxm)” in place of the Vizier. Pethaps. small bit of political mockery leveled ac this prestigious governmental position? Transcription of the drawing of Timur’s great chess, completed. Completing the survey of Timur’s great chess, we have three extra Pawns, naturally enough associated with the new characters on the board. There is the Pawn of Lions on j3, the Explorer's Pawn on f4 and the Pawn of Bulls on c4. But the placement of these Pawns raises a new question. Notice that our diagram has the Pawns of the Bulls, Explorers and Elephants facing each other directly across the board on the 4th and 7th ranks. This mirror symmetry is not consistent with all of the other chessmen on the first three rows, which each player has arranged similarly left-to-right, For instance, notice that the Pawns on the 3rd rank do not mirror the Pawns on the 8th rank. Was this discrepancy in3. Timur’s Great Chess 37 symmetry the mere result of an over-tired and inattentive copyist? Bue the rest of the diagram has been complered with such meticulous care! One really cannot be sure. ‘A game which received so much attention as to be carefully depicted in a manuscript must have actually been played and must have had a set of rules. In particulas, itis thoughe chat the novel pieces must have had their own special moves, and maybe even a higher level of power (a fourth level!) than the pieces already looked at. But what were those moves exactly? Historians do not have any indication, but can give it their best guess.* For those who would like to go ahead and play this interestingly completed variation of Timur’s great chess, the present authors propose three long-distance leaping moves, which fill in the move choices left by the already familiar pieces. For the Explorer, there would be a three- square diagonal move—a simple extension of the Elephant’s leap. For the Lion, there would be a three-square orthogonal leap—an extension of the Vizier's move. And for the Bull, there would be a leap of three squares orthogonally plus two squares at a right angle—a full extension of a Horse’ leap. These three moves neatly fill in the square of possible moves left open by the existing pieces of shatranj and Timur's great chess, as shown by the diagrams below. The relative values xplorer (1), Lion (1.35) and Bull (1.6). The left diagram shows the compared moves of the known shatranj and great chess pieces. On the right, moves proposed for the three additional pieces: the Explorer, the Lion and the Bull. Each piece symbol shows the particular piece’s range, if starting at the square marked “X." “Completed” or nor, the rules of great chess were certainly the subject of discussion, con- tention and negotiation. Nevertheless, the first rule would probably be stated thus: “Timur is ight.” Who would dare defeat him without his consent? Turkish Great Chess The spirie of Timue’s majesty lives on in 1, though separated from the mighty conqueror by some four centuries. This particular shatranj al-kabir is presented cour- tesy of Muhammad Hafid, author of a Turkish encyclopedia published in 1805-06 in Consean- tinople (Istanbul). The chessboard is even larger here and the list of pieces offers a strange, newer chess vi somewhat disconcerting, hodge-podge of warriors and wild beasts, casting an erie web of fantasy over this game’s metaphoric struggle.38 array of Turkish great chess. Ie is played on a board of 13 x 13 squares. Each player has 26 pieces: 1 King, 1 Counselor, 1 Grand Ferz, 2 Gazelles (Abu), 2 Rhinoceroses (Karkaddan), 2 Elephants, 2 Horses, 2 “Rukhs” and 13 Pawns. Pawns are placed on each player's fourth rank, rows 4 and 10, Counselors, Kings and Grand Ferzes face pieces of their own kind across the board, in mirrored arrangement.” The familiar shatranj pieces have the standard shatranj moves." The move of the Gazelles is the same as that of the Camels in Timur’s great chess, and the Grand Ferz takes the very same move as Timur’s Giraffe. The new piece is the Rhinoceros." Rhinoceros: leaps like a Horse or moves any number of squares on the diagonals In other words, it may move like a modern Knight or Bishop—a powerful combina- tion! “The scale of value is: Rhinoceros (5.4), Rukh (5), Grand Ferz (3), Horse (2.25), Gazelle (2), Counselor (1.2), Elephant (1), Pawn (0.45). In comparison, the modern pieces on this board would rank: Queen (8.1), Bishop (3.25). All rules of play, including Pawn promotion, would follow the rules of traditional sha- tranj—with the addition of the extra pieces mentioned. “These great chess variants offer a fascinating glimpse of a distant but widespread chess culture which is all bue lost to the world today. Yer, the record is far from exhausted. The Polish historian Jerzy Gitycki, in his book 4 History of Chess, tells us of an Indian variant played on a 12 x 12 square board, sometimes played with dice, and played with Birds, Crocodiles, Giraffes, Lions and even Unicorns as pieces. He goes on to relate that the 15th century Uzbek poet, Alisher Navoi, reported a Central Asian game with Viziers, Elephants, Giraffes, Bears, Camels, “Ruh- birds” and Horses, popular in the 13ch and Mth cencuries. Large chess variants existed for cen- turies, varying in details of rules and pieces, but maintaining many of the characteristics we have described here, as the games were passed on down the generations and across the map of Central Asia. The present work describes more large variants, from the further reaches of chess evolution in the following pages. The grand notion of an expanded and greatly diversified game of chess has long held sway over the chess lover’s imagination. ‘Those deeply attached to the orthodoxy of modern chess often look disparagingly at the ¢great variants, as though they were mere distractions from the “real” game, but it can still become 4 momentous revelation when a chess player is suddenly captivated by the discovery of Timur’s4. Shatar 39 ‘great chess, with its marvelous menagerie of characters. Turning the key to discover a few new pieces with surprising moves and intriguing rules, the player may suddenly unlock hidden dimen sions of another chess universe. 4. Shatar” “The vast steppes of Mongolia have given birth to hordes of fierce horsemen who, more than onee, surged through the Asian continent, subjugating all others and creating the largest empires the world has ever known, Somehow, chess took hold as a deeply imbedded aspect of the Mongol culture and, curiously, the game relinquished almost all ofits allusions to warfare. The symbolic struggle on the Mongolian chessboard resembles not so much a military confrontation as a com- petition between the ornate icons of two rival nomadic clans. ‘ apnea ial J 2 ‘Above: Shatar in the Mongolian alphabet. Right: Starting array of shatar. 2 > oe @ et 9 Material ‘The traditional chessboard is uniform with 64 squares drawn over a sheet of paper or cloth— although checkered boards and mats now are also common. The traditional pieces are finely carved or cast, and are highly valued by their owners, as they will be passed down from one gen- cration to the next. They are also sought after as coveted collectors’ sets. ‘The figures displayed on the two sides are often very different from each other. And, although the pieces may be very colorful, the color often does not reflect the two sides of the game. Some- time: all se: he opposing sides will have differently colored bases, but there is no uniformity throughout More often, the two sides are indicated by the symbolic meaning of the figures. The two sides may represent, for instance passive, good vs. evil, Mongolian vs, Russian, Buddhism vs. Shamanism, or they may just be the effects of one clan against another. For instance, agressive vs one side may have pull-carts while the other side has trucks, There may even be variation among, the pieces of one side, such as those sets depicting male figures on one flank and female figures on the other, or those with a variety of unique figures representing the eight Pawns.40 Part I. Chess of the Arabian Nights All told, the Mongolian tradition of chessmen must be considered the most inherently cre~ ativein all of chess. Fine sculpeure and diversity among the chess pieces is not a special elaboration; it is the cultural norm. Made of wood, stone (soapstone, marble, steatite), bronze (and other metals), and even mammoth bone and ivory, the possibilities of artistic refinement are virtually without bounds. Sasduz Finely carved Mongolian chessmen in the “pastoral” style. KNowtTON PHOTOGRAPH Even within this great variety, che forms employed in the Mongolian chessmen do conform to aspects of life in the nomadic culture of the steppes. Here are some of the most common figures found on the Mongolian chessboard: * The royal piece is the Noyan, the Chief of the clan. He is usually represented seated on a throne, Sometimes, one of the players possesses a young bare-faced Chief in opposition to an aged, bearded one. In some games, one Chief is a Soviet officer, kolkhoz director or Chinese warlord. The Noyan is the head of the male flank. © The “Queen” figure is called the Bers, and in this game she isa fierce feline predator. The figure may be a Snow Leopard, or a tiger. It can also be depicted as a mythical “snow lio with a white body and tufts of green hair, or—especially in neighboring Tava—a ferocious dog (y). Not uncommonly, itis depicted as the mythical lion-dog (“fir dog”), commonly depicted in Chinese sculptures. The Bers is the head of the female flank. GAé cap Typical examples of the shatar Noyan (left) and Bers (right). kNow10N PHorocRarns © Bishops are Camels (Zemegen) here. The Camel is the Bactrian sort with two humps, not to be confused with the dromedary, often depicted in the chess sets of India. An essential animal in the nomadic life, this figure replaces the Elephant of shatranj. * Next in line is the Horse (Mori) Ie is almost always represented without a rider. The noble stature of this beast in Mongolian society cannot be overstated. Sometimes, these pieces depict a stallion on the male lank and a mare on the female side.image not availableimage not availableimage not available