Like other games that appeared on earth many centuries ago, chess was invented a long time ago. The history of chess, according to some sources, has more than three thousand years.
Nobody can establish their true age reliably. According to one of the most famous legends, the history of chess began around 1000 BC. e.: they were for one ruler invented by the great Indian mathematician, who is credited with the discovery of raising numbers to a power. Initially, this game had to be played by four people and destroy all the pieces of the opponents, but over time it transformed a little, and two players began to play chess.
The history of chess continued with their spread beyond the borders of ancient India. Already in 600 BC , they were mentioned in Persian poems. Arabs perfected this game. The winner is the one who put the opponent “checkmate” - the position in the game when the “king” piece no longer has free moves. Further, the spread of this intellectual game lasted several centuries around the world. The history of chess in Europe began in the first millennium. e., when the Moors brought them to Spain. Further, the game spread to Italy, France and Portugal. The Catholic Church reacted negatively to chess, and banned them for a long time. Despite church persecution, they continued their triumphal march around the world and constantly improved. It is believed that by the X V century. n e. they have acquired their modern look. The history of chess in Russia began during the Tatar-Mongol raids, back in the 9th - 10th centuries. n e., and later they were most often brought from Poland. The Russian church also banned the game of chess for a long time, but already in the 10th-7th century noble people and clergy played practically throughout the whole of Russia.
The word "chess" originally comes from the Persian word "check" (king) and the ancient Arabic word "checkmate" (died). After the advent of chess in Europe, many books were written about this game and its theory. The modern officially recognized rules of chess are not much different from those by which they played this game 500 years ago.
A chess game is a competition in which two opponents, according to certain rules, take turns moving pieces on a 64-cell board with dark and white squares. The most common variety that has stood the test of time is classical chess. The rules of this game were adopted by FIDE (International Chess Federation). In the vast majority of competitions of the international level, the “Rules of Chess” recorded in 2004 by the FIDE Congress are valid. According to them, the checkerboard fields are called white and black. Accordingly, rivals play chess pieces of white and black (dark) color. The printed image of the board is called a chessboard. In competitions, the board is positioned so that the left corner field closest to each player is black. A straight longitudinal row of cells (fields), beginning and ending at the extreme (boundary) fields, is called a vertical. The transverse row of fields is called the horizontal. A number of fields that touch only corners are called a diagonal. A series of adjoining fields in succession, the centers of which are connected by one segment of a straight line, is called a chess line.
All chess pieces have their own name, trajectory of movement and initial location. Moves are recorded using certain rules and notation in the form of a text called chess notation. All figures belong to one of six types, each of which has its own properties, manifested in their movement. Opponents at the beginning of the game have 16 pieces. Their full monochrome set: king, queen, 2 bishops and a horse, 2 rooks, 8 pawns. The color of the figures is determined by lot. The initial arrangement of chess pieces always remains unchanged, in certain fields. Fields with figures are called busy, and without them - free. Pawns are located on fields 2 and 7 of the horizontal; the rooks are in the corner fields, near them are the horses, followed by the elephants. Queens are located on the fields d1, d8, and kings - on e1, e8.
For any player in chess, one of three game results is possible: loss, draw, win. When winning, the winning opponent announces to the loser “checkmate”, and if there is a tie, “stalemate” is declared.
The theory of chess is the entire body of knowledge about the laws and features of this game. It gives an assessment of each situation and recommendations for moving the figures to the goal. Without studying the theory of chess it is impossible to thoroughly study this game and achieve success in it.