Chess History
Where the game came from and how it became what we play today.
Chess has a long history. It likely started in India as chaturanga, then spread to Persia and the Islamic world, and later to Europe. Over centuries the rules changed: the queen and bishop became the powerful pieces we know today, and castling and pawn promotion were added. By the late 15th century the game was close to modern chess.
Famous players and games
From the romantic era (Morphy, Anderssen) to the first official world champions (Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca), and then to the Soviet school (Botvinnik, Tal, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov), the game kept evolving. Today we have strong engines and world champions like Carlsen. Studying classic games helps you see how great players thought and how opening and middlegame ideas developed over time.
Why it matters
You don't need to know history to play well, but a bit of context makes the game richer. Knowing where the rules came from and how styles changed can also make your study more fun. We'll add short articles on famous games, players, and milestones here.
History articles will appear here and in the blog. For openings, tactics, and endgames, see Articles and the category pages.