Origins of chaturanga

Chaturanga was an ancient Indian strategy game that is widely considered to be the ancestor of chess. Its name means four limbs in Sanskrit, and refers to the four divisions of the ancient Indian army: infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots, which became the pawns, knights, bishops and rooks. The earliest clear references to the game in Indian sources date to around the seventh century, although some scholars think it was played earlier, in the Gupta period, and its exact origins are debated. The game passed to Persia, where it was called chatrang and then shatranj after the Arab conquest, and from there it travelled to Europe through Spain and Italy. In the later Middle Ages the rules changed to give the game its modern form.

Open on the timeline