Shatranj facts for kids

Chatrang, also known as Shatranj, was an early version of the game we now call chess. This game first came to Persia (modern-day Iran) and then to the Arab world.

Around the year 600, in ancient Persia, the game was called Chatrang. Its rules were developed further. Players started saying Shāh! (which means 'King' in Persian) when they threatened their opponent's king. They would say Shāh māt! (meaning 'the king is finished') when the king was trapped and couldn't escape. These phrases are still used in chess today, like "check" and "checkmate."

After the Islamic conquest of Persia, the game was adopted by the Muslim world. The pieces mostly kept their Persian names. In Arabic, the word "māt" or "māta" means "died" or "is dead." The game became known as Shatranj in Arabic. In almost all other languages, the name of chess comes from either shatranj or shah.

It's interesting that the Arabs divided their game into the same three parts we use today: the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame.

How Chess Pieces Changed Names

Over time, as chess traveled from India through Persia to Europe, the names and roles of the pieces changed. The table below shows how the names of the chess pieces evolved across different cultures.

Images for kids

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  Two shatranj players in a detail from a Persian miniature painting from 1430.

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  An antique North Indian Mughul Shatranj Chess Set made from Sandalwood.

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  An Iranian shatranj set, made from glazed fritware in the 12th century.

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  An early shatranj game.

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  An ivory chess king or vizier from the 9th century, an example of Islamic art.

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  A Persian manuscript from the 14th century showing an ambassador from India bringing chess to the Persian court.

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  An Indian ambassador introducing chess to the Persian court of Khosrow I.

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  Shams-e-Tabrīzī as shown in a 1500 painting.

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  Krishna and Radha playing chaturanga on an 8×8 board.

See also

In Spanish: Shatranj para niños