CHESS. 



Chn*. M a representation of a round clics* board, with direc- 

 "i""" ' t : on for pUciug the men upon it. The board it divided 

 into 64 compartments by four concentric circle-, 

 divided into 16 pans, an rmpty space Ix-ing left in the 

 middle. Number 1 is marked or placed in the outer- 

 mo*t circle ; number -.' in the third cirje, chiming in- 

 wird* io the division to the right hand of the former ; 

 number 3 is placed in the outermnit circle, in the divi- 

 sion to the right hand of '2 ; i in the third circle, count- 

 ing inwards to the right hand of :f ; and others alternate- 

 ly from the tirst to the third, and from the third to the 

 first circle, till the round is completed by 16 on the third 

 circle to the left hand of 1 . Number 1 7 is then placed 

 on the division of the innermost circle to the right hand 

 of 1 5 18 on the second circle, counting inwards to the 

 right hand of 17 ; and thus alternately from the fourth 

 to the second, and from the second to the fourth circles, 

 until the round is completed by 32 directly below num- 

 ber 1. Number 'M then is placed on the third circle, 

 directly to the right hand of number '2 ; 34 on the fourth 

 circle, directly below number S3. The numbers are now 

 placed in a retrograde fashion ; 50 on the outer circle, in 

 that division immediately to the right hand of 1 ; 51 on 

 the third circle, to the left hand of 2, and directly below 

 number 32 ; 52 is then placed on the outer circle, imme- 

 diately on the left hand of Iti ; and thus alternately on 

 the first and third circles, until the last ground is com- 

 pleted by 64 between the numbers 3 and 5. 



On this round chess board, supposing the black king 

 to be placed in number 48 on the fourth circle, the queen 

 tands on number 17 at his left hand ; the bishops in 33 

 and 2; the knights 18 and 47; the castles S and 50 ; 

 the pawns on 19, 4, 49, 64, and 46, 51, 32, 1. The 

 white king will then stand in 25 opposite to the black 

 queen ; the white queen in 40, opposite to the black 

 king, and o forth. In playing on a board of this kind, 

 it will be found that the power of the castle is double to 

 that in the common game, and that of the bishop only 

 one half ; the former having 16 squares to range in, and 

 the latter only four. The king can castle only one way ; 

 and it is very difficult to bring the game to a conclusion. 



The Russians are said to be great proficients at chess ; 

 and with them the queen has, in addition to her other 

 moves, that of the knight also ; which, according to 

 Philidor, spoils the game, but renders it much more com- 

 plicated. The Russians play also at chess with four per- 

 sons at the same time, two against two ; for which pur- 

 pose the board is longer than usual, contains more men, 

 and is provided with a greater number of squares. 



In Thibet and the Birman empire, as indeed through- 

 out all the East, this game is held in high estimation. 

 The board used by the Birmans, as we learn from Symt s's 

 Embassy to Ava, (vol. lii. p. 389.) is exactly similar to 

 ours, containing 64 squares, and the number of their 

 troops the same, 16 on each side ; but the names, the 

 power, and the disposal of them differ essentially. The 

 king and his minister (corresponding to our queen) are 

 mounted on elephants ; these are defended by two cas 

 ties, two knights on horseback, two officers on foot, and 

 eight fool soldiers ; the forces of each party are arran- 

 ged in three lines, by which eight -squares remain unoc 

 cupied ; none of the pieces possess equal force with our 

 queen ; by which restricted operation, according to Mr 

 Symei, the Birman mode of playing is rendered more 

 complex and difficult than our*. The game is known in 

 that country by the name of chedreen, which b -ar some 

 resemblance to the appellation by which it is distinguish- 

 ed in most other parts of the world. 



It appears likewise from Lord V akom's late travels 



in the East, that the game of chest it a favourite amuse, dim. 

 with the Abyssinian*. " In the evening," says s " p p ~.-~ < 

 Mr Salt, (who was sent by his lordship into Abyssinia,) 

 ' we went into the hall, and found the Ras at chess in 

 the midb! of his chieta. The chess men, which are coarse- 

 ly made of ivory, arc very !nrge and clum they 

 have occasion to take any one of their adversary's pieces, 

 they strike it with great force and eag-rness from its 

 place. 1 observed that their game differs much from 

 ours. Biih pi jump over the ' .r.-.ghts, and are 

 enly alloxrexl to move three (-quares. The pawns move 

 only cm; step forward at Blurting, and get no rank by 

 reaching the end of the board. They play with much 

 noise, every person around, even tlie slaves, having t> 

 voice in the game, and seizing ti.e pieces at pleasure, tr> 

 shew any advisable m \v. U'e observed, however, tha*. 

 they always managed with great ingenuity to let the 

 R;is win evt- ry game. 



The game of chess k allowed upon all hands to be of 

 very great antiquity ; but concerning its origin, as well 

 as the etymology of the num.- by winch it is so general- 

 ly denoted, a great variety of opinions hive prevailed. It 

 has been maintained by many learned writers, that the 

 invention of this game was due to Palamedes at the siege 

 of Troy. The various passages of the ancients, \\ 

 have been relied on in proof of this opinion, may b<- 

 in Stephen's Thesaurus under the wi>rd mrm;, a pebble. 

 One of the principal is the following line of Sophocles : 



Eiu{ (sc. Palamedes. ) jrisToj? x9,<3oj5 n n^tt> jy; ;. 



But from this nothing more can be inferred, than tlut 

 Palamedes invented some game which was played with 

 pebbles. From a line in the first book of the (),/ 

 it has been inferred, that Penelope's suitors amused tlu-m- 

 selves with this game before the gates of Ulyases's pa- 

 lace. The game played by Penelope's suitors, and called 

 mrnix, is particularly described by Athenxus, on the 

 authority of a native of Ithaca \ ( Deipno op/i. 1. 1 ) and 

 it differs very m'tffially from chess, the number of the 

 pieces being 108 instead of 32. The game called mrnut 

 in Greek, was by the Romans termed ciilcn/i, or /atntn- 

 cu/i ; and Ovid (Art. Ant, \. '.J.) ha-, to described the 

 manner of playing it, that no person who is in the least 

 acquainted with chess, can conceive that it alludes to this 

 game. 



It seems probable, that chess was introduced into Eu- 

 rope by the crusaders in the llth or i'2th century, at 

 which period it was a game in very common use both 

 among the Greeks and Saracens. The Princess Anna 

 Comnena, in the life of her father Alexis Comnenus, who 

 was emperor of the Greeks in the llth ctntury, informs 

 us that the game of chess, which she calls T{<, came 

 from Persia into Greece ; so that it is in the East ihat 

 we are to look for its origin. The Persians themselves lay 

 no claim to this invention, but unanimously agree, that 

 they received the game from the Indians at the begin- 

 ning of the 6th century, during the reign of Chosrocs 

 the Great. " The Persians," says Sir William Jot.es, 

 " though as much inclined as other nations to appropri- 

 ate the ingenious inventions of a foreign people, unani- 

 mously agree, that the game (of chess) was imported 

 from the west of India, together with the charming fa- 

 f Vithnasarman, in the sixth century of our era." 

 (.Isiuiic Researches, vol. li.) 



Tliia profound orientalist coincides with the learned 

 Hy.'e, i'nd is decidedly of opinion, that chess was inveut- 

 id n. Hindustan, where, I iii'S been immemo- 



<' 1!; '.nown by the name of Clinturaf;ii. tli.it is, the four 

 angat, or members of an army, viz. elephants, horse?, 



