History · 4 min read
Who invented chess? The story of how chess began
If you’ve ever wondered who invented chess, the answer takes us through several places and many centuries. Most historical accounts trace the game’s roots to India, but there’s no securely documented person we can name as its inventor. The chess we play today developed gradually as people carried it to new places and changed how it was played.
The quick answer
Chess is generally traced to chaturanga in India around the sixth or seventh century, followed by developments in Persia and elsewhere. Its exact origins are uncertain, and no individual inventor is securely documented. The modern game took shape through later changes to the pieces and rules.
Where did chess originate?
The British Museum places chess’s likely beginnings in India in the AD 600s. Other accounts describe its roots more broadly as the sixth or seventh century. These are approximate dates for an early form of the game, rather than a known year of invention.
Chaturanga is the ancestor most often mentioned in this history. Its military pieces and royal objective connect it to the chess family, although it wasn’t played under the full set of modern rules.
Part of the uncertainty comes from the evidence available. A written reference can tell us that a game was known at a particular time, but it may have been played long before anyone wrote about it. Surviving pieces offer another view of that history, even when their exact origins remain debated.
A short history of chess in five stages
This timeline brings together a few of the main stages in the history of chess. The early dates are approximate, and each stage involved changes that happened over time.
- c. 6th–7th century
Indian roots
Chaturanga is generally treated as a major ancestor of chess. There is no securely identified individual inventor.
- Early medieval period
Persia and shatranj
The game developed through Persia and spread through the Islamic world. Pieces and terminology traveled with it.
- Medieval Europe
Chess in medieval Europe
European sets reflected local ideas of royalty, clergy, and warfare. The Lewis chessmen are a surviving example.
- Late 15th century
The queen and bishop gain range
The modern long-range powers of the queen and bishop emerged in Europe, changing attacks and opening play.
- 1997
Deep Blue and Kasparov
IBM’s Deep Blue defeated reigning world champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match under standard tournament conditions.
How chess developed in Persia
As chess traveled, its names and pieces changed with it. The Metropolitan Museum’s “Shah Mat!” history connects Persian shatranj with Sanskrit chaturanga and describes pieces that look quite different from a modern set.
Kings and viziers could resemble small thrones, while paired projections suggested elephant tusks. The vizier occupied the role later associated with the queen, and the elephant was an ancestor of the piece now called the bishop in English. Their movements weren’t necessarily the same as those of the pieces we use today.
Seeing these older forms makes it easier to imagine how the game spread. People adopted it, gave its pieces familiar names and shapes, and passed it on within their own communities.
When chess began to resemble the modern game
A major change came in late-medieval Europe, when queens and bishops gained the long-range movement we recognize today. National Geographic’s account of medieval chess describes this strengthening of the two pieces in the late fifteenth century.
Those changes had a large effect on how games developed. A bishop could influence a distant part of the board as soon as its diagonal opened, while a queen could create threats from several squares away. Developing pieces and looking after the king became closely connected concerns.
The rules continued to evolve after that period. Castling, for example, is part of the modern game’s approach to king safety and has a practical influence on the way we play openings.
The story of Sissa and the grains of rice
One of the best-known chess legends tells of an inventor, often called Sissa, who asks for a reward of grain doubled on every square of the board. He begins with one grain on the first square, then asks for two on the next, four on the next, and so on. Historical overviews describe this as a legend, so it doesn’t establish who invented chess.
The calculation in the story is something we can check. Across all 64 squares, the grains add up to 2⁶⁴ − 1 = 18,446,744,073,709,551,615. The total becomes so large because each new square holds one more grain than all the preceding squares combined.
Move the slider below to see how the amount grows. The first few squares seem manageable, which helps explain why the story is such a memorable introduction to doubling.
Grains on this square128
Total grains so far255
The numbers are exact; the story is a legend, rather than evidence of who invented chess.
From historical chess sets to online games
The history of chess continues through both the objects people make and the ways they play. The Lewis chessmen preserve a glimpse of medieval craftsmanship, while IBM’s account of Deep Blue describes a much later milestone: the computer’s 1997 match victory over Garry Kasparov, after losing their earlier match in 1996.
Today, you might encounter chess through a family set, a school club, a stream, or an online game. There’s plenty to explore whichever way you found it. Our collection of interesting chess facts includes a few more details about the pieces, the board, and the people who have played.
Sources & further reading
The diagrams and exercises are teaching examples. Rules references apply to standard chess unless stated otherwise.