CHATRANG (i.e. SHATRANJ) • CHESS · Liberty Politics Discussion

Jun 29 • Fun

CHATRANG (i.e. SHATRANJ) • CHESS

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SUMMARY:

Chess is an ancient mental board game of abstract strategy amongst two individuals where one side is White and the other side is Black with it's board game pieces positioned on the 68 Black and White square patterns 8x8 grid which is the battlefield of this abstract mental war strategy board game

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HISTORY:

The earliest evidence of Chess goes back to 600 AD in ancient Iran under the Sassanid Dynasty where the board game came to be known as "Chatrang" (Native Middle Iranian or Pahlavi Iranian: چترنگ) which literally means "Four Divisions of the Military" known as the Infantry, Cavalry, Elephant and Chariotry that is represented by the pieces of the board game and later Chatrang was taken up by the Muslim World after the Islamic Conquest of Iran where the term was Arabized into "Shatranj" (Arabized Iranian: شترنج) and this term was borrowed by Arabic by becoming "Al-Shaṭranj" (Pure Arabic: الشطرنج)

The term "Checkmate" comes from the Iranian term "Shāhmāt" which literally means "the Monarch is stuck" (i.e. "the Lord is stuck")

The ancient Iranian Premier Bozorgmehr under the leadership of the Monarch of Iran Shāhanshāh Khosrow Anushirvan the Just introduced the game to their ancient Iranian citizens of their Great Empire with it's following pieces

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THE PIECES:

• The actual original Iranian (i.e. Aryan) names of the pieces with their literal translation meanings

♔ | ♚ Monarch (i.e. Lord) = Shāh (شاه)

♕ | ♛ Premier = Farzin (فرزین) or Vazir (وزیر)

♗ | ♝ Elephant-rider = Pil (پیل)

♘ | ♞ Horse-rider = Asp (اسپ)

♖ | ♜ Rook (chariot tower) = Rokh (رخ)

♙ | ♟ Footsoldier = Piādeh (پیاده)

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THE LAWS OF MOVEMENT:

• The ways pieces are allowed to move that guides any player to formulate their strategy to kill the enemy pieces of the opponent player

🟣 The Monarch (i.e. Lord) Piece is the most important piece that can only move 1-square to any direction

🟣 The Premier Piece is the most powerful piece that can move any number of squares in either direction

🟣 The Elephant-rider Pieces move only diagonally in any direction

🟣 The Horse-rider Pieces move 2-squares vertically and 1-square horizontally or 2-squares horizontally and 1-square vertically like the L-Shape

🟣 The Rook (chariot tower) Pieces move only vertically or horizontally in any direction

🟣 Footsoldier Pieces are the most common and the most vulnerable pieces that can move only 1-square forward or 2-squares forward maximum at their initial moves individually

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WESTERN TRANSFORMATIONS:

• From its origins the Iranian (i.e. Aryan) Zoroastrian World the board game was transferred to the Arab Muslim World and it ended up at the European Christian World

When the board game entered Europe its pieces were given new names which goes as follows at this time the Monarch i.e. Lord (Shāh) was changed into "the King", the Premier (Vazir) was changed into "the Queen" and the Elephant-riders (Pil's) were changed into "the Bishops" while the Horse-riders (Asp's), chariot tower Rooks (Rokh's) and Footsoldiers (Piādeh's) somewhat stayed the same in their characterizations by becoming Knights, Rooks and Pawns which are basically the same things as their Iranian (i.e. Aryan) origins

Monarch (i.e. Lord)

---- European Version "King" | Changed*

Premier

---- European Version "Queen" | Changed*

Elephant-rider

---- European Version "Bishop" | Changed*

Horse-rider

---- European Version "Knight" | Stayed Same*

Rook (chariot tower)

---- European Version "Rook" | Stayed Same*

Footsoldier

---- European Version "Pawn" | Stayed Same*

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ARABIZATION:

• Unfortunately the native Iranian (i.e. Aryan) term "Chatrang" (چترنگ) was Arabized into "Shatranj" (شترنج) under the Islamic Caliphates of the Arab Muslims of the wasteland known as Arabia that conquered the predominantly Zoroastrian Iranian (i.e. Aryan) Empire under the Sassanid Dynasty in the 7th Century AD and it was this Arabized "Shatranj" (شترنج) term that came into common usage and not it's proper native Iranian (i.e. Aryan) origin term "Chatrang" (چترنگ)

The Arab Muslims fundamentally changed all of the names of the pieces unlike the European Christians who kept some of them the somewhat the same as their original Iranian (i.e. Aryan) names

These are the Arabic names of the pieces and the Turks use the term "Sulṭān" (سلطان) when they play the board game

Monarch (King) = Malek (ملک) or Sulṭān (سلطان)

Premier = Rais (رئیس)

Elephant-rider = Fil (فیل)

Horse-rider = Heṣān (حصان)

Rook (chariot tower) = Qal'ah (قلعه)

Footsoldier = Baydaq (بیدق) or Askari (عسکری)

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CHATRANG (i.e. SHATRANJ) • CHESS