1902.] H. G. Raverty —The Invention of Chess and Backgammon. 53 
aware of the reason, he inquired of her the cause of her affliction, 
and the disturbed state of her mind, waiting for an opportunity to 
acquaint her with her son’s fate. She replied : “ lb is now a long time 
that no news has been received of Shah, my son, and nothing appears to 
be known as to the cause thereof, or what may have befallen him; and 
this surely is enough to make his mother’s heart sad.” The great man 
replied, saying: “ It should be known to the Rani, that from the hard¬ 
ships and dangers attending distant expeditions there is no remedy, and 
no avoiding them, nor the anxieties, uncertainties, and reverses attendant 
on the exercise of sovereign power, and the conduct of military affairs.” 
He then managed to lead the conversation to the invention of the game 
of chess for the amusement and diversion of the late Rai, her husbmd, 
which interested her so much, that she requested him to go at once and 
bring the chess-men and the cloth to play it on, and teach her how the 
game was played. He did so accordingly ; and he continued to teach 
her for some days, in such wise that she soon gained some expertness 
therein, while, at the same time, it diverted her mind from constantly 
brooding over the non-receipt of authentic tidings of her son. 
She was one day engaged in playing the game with this great man, 
and was winning, the superiority being on her side, when all at once she 
called for the Shah or King; and as her opponent’s Shah had no move 
left on the board or cloth, she exclaimed: “ Shah mat,” which, literally, 
means, “ Shah is undone,” “ overthrown,” or “ destroyed.” The great 
man, now finding the opportunity he sought, replied: “ May the life of 
the Rani be prolonged, but it is now some time that this very mishap 
occurred to Shah, her son, as is here shown; and no one dared to break 
the sad news; but now it has been pronounced from her own lips.’’ 
The truth now flashed upon her, and the fate of her son she thus learnt 
by means of the game of chess; and though she was greatly distressed, 
as may naturally be conceived, the delicate manner in which it was 
imparted, tended, in some measure, to alleviate her affliction and sorrow, 
and to enable her to resign herself to the inevitable and irrevocable. 
There is, however, another account respecting the manner in which 
the news of her son’s death was imparted to the Raul, as I before men¬ 
tioned. It is, that when Rai Bhalit found his end approaching, he 
named his only son, Gau, then a mere boy, his successor, and soon after 
died. On account of his youth he was then incapable of being intrusted 
to carry on the affairs of government, and, consequently, the chief men 
of the kingdom held counsel together, and deemed it advisable to confer 
the government on the late Rai’s brother, Gau’s uncle, who was named 
Dambir, and made him Regent, until such time as Gau should be cap¬ 
able of assuming the reins of authority. 
