Chess history

India

Krishna and Radha playingchaturanga on an 88 Ashtpada

The earliest precursor of modern chess is a game called chaturanga, which flourished in India by
the 6th century, and is the earliest known game to have two essential features found in all later
chess variationsdifferent pieces having different powers (which was not the case
with checkers and Go), and victory depending on the fate of one piece, the king of modern chess.
[10]

The original chess board was mathematically revolutionary, as reported by the infamous Wheat

and chessboard problem. A common theory is that Indias development of the board, and chess,
was likely due to Indias mathematical enlightenment involving the creation of the number zero.
[8]

Other game pieces (speculatively called "chess pieces") uncovered in archaeological findings

are considered as coming from other, distantly related board games, which may have had boards
of 100 squares or more.[10] Findings in the Mohenjo-daro and Harappa (26001500 BCE) sites of
the Indus Valley Civilization show the prevalence of a board game that resembles chess. [17]