Shatranj is an early form of chess played in the Sasanian Empire, representing one of the direct historical ancestors of the modern game. According to tradition the game reached the Persian court as a gift during the reign of Khosrau I, who ruled from 531 to 579, having originated earlier in India; Middle Persian texts referencing the game date to around 620 AD. Shatranj is played by two competitors on an eight by eight board with sixteen pieces per side, and its army of pieces was organized to represent four traditional divisions of an Indian military force: cavalry, elephants, chariots and infantry. The game combined strategic planning with tactical maneuvering in ways that shaped chess theory and literature for many centuries after its own decline, and its piece movements and structure differ from modern chess in several respects that chess historians still study today for what they reveal about the game's evolution across Persian, Arab and eventually European culture.
Facts
Playing Time Game Category Game Mechanic Minimum Players Maximum Players Classification
Player Count Sport
Game Type (category) Connections
Ancestor Of
Source Senterej (Wikipedia)
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Source Ludii Portal (Digital Ludeme Project): ShatranjDescriptionQuote, Description
Shatranj is a game derived from Chaturanga which probably began in Iran and spread throughout the Islamic world and into Europe.
Sources
1. Shatranj (Wikipedia)
Lead, description
an old form of chess, as played in the Sasanian Empire
Lead, play description
played competitively in matches and tournaments
View the Source2. Ouk Chatrang (BoardGameGeek)
- Origin Year: 1687
- Playing Time: 120
- Designer: (Uncredited)
- Publisher: (Public Domain)
- Game Category: Abstract Strategy
- Game Mechanic: Grid Movement
- Minimum Players: 2
- Maximum Players: 2
View the SourceSenterej (Wikipedia)
Ancestor Of: Senterej, Lead, third sentenceQuote, Ancestor Of: Senterej, Lead, third sentence
It was the last popular survival of shatranj.
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