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the moves and powers of all the pieces employed were the same that prevailed in Asia, and Europe, down to the close of the fifteenth century of our era. The origin of this form of the game is lost in the depths of remote antiquity; but there can be no question, as we shall afterwards show, that it was invented in India. The board consisted then, as it does now, of sixty-four squares. The game was played by four persons, each having a King, a Rook, a Knight, and, lastly, a Bishop (then represented by a Ship,) together with four Pawns. The two opposite players were allied against the other two, and the moves were decided by the turn of an oblong die having four faces marked with the numbers two, three, four and five; the two and five being opposites, as were the three and four. The only peculiarity in this primæval game was that the King might be captured as well as any other piece, as we shall see in our third Chapter. This, we must remember, was merely Chess in its infancy, and the capture of the King was certainly in conformity with the usages of actual warfare, though we may look upon it as having a tendency to spoil the game. The very simplicity and imperfection of this primitive Chess, furnish the best possible proofs of its being the original. Its duration may have been from three to four thousand years before the sixth century of our era.

The second, or mediaval period, in the history of Chess, occupies a space of about one thousand years— that is, from the sixth to the sixteenth century of our era. At the commencement of this period the improvement made in the game is very decided. The board and the powers of the pieces still remain the same, but the two allied forces have each united on one side of the board, whilst the adversaries have done the same on the other. One of the allied Kings then becomes a subordinate

piece, called by the Persians and Arabs Farzin or Wazir, i.e., counsellor or minister-with only half the power that he had previously possessed as an independent Sovereign. At the same time the Rook and Bishop change places, the former being transferred to the corner of the board, and the Bishop to the place he now occupies. Finally, the die is dismissed, and the whole game is reduced to a pure trial of mental power and intellectual skill.

The third, or modern period, commences with the sixteenth century. The change made here consists, first, in extending the power of the Bishop, allowing him to command the whole diagonal, instead of every third square as formerly; secondly, in giving the Queen or Minister the enormous power of the Rook and Bishop combined; and, lastly, in allowing the Pawns to advance one or two squares at pleasure, at the first move. To these improvements we may add that of castling the King, either according to the Italian method or that of the Anglo-French school. It is just probable that our go-ahead posterity will introduce some further modifications-such, for instance, as giving the Queen the additional power of the Knight. This, like our modern improvements in the implements of war, will tend to shorten the duration of a game, "a consummation," sometimes, "most devoutly to be wished."

In the following chapters it is my intention to trace the origin, and to describe the precise state of the Game of Chess both in the primeval and mediæval periods. This is a task hitherto unaccomplished, simply because it has never been undertaken by a person who happened to know something of Chess and of Oriental languages at the same time. Hyde, for example, commits several mistakes, owing to his ignorance of Chess. Sir William

Jones also fails both from his then slight acquaintance with Sanskrit, and from his crotchet about the Game of Chess being the " glorious and grand conception of one single mind." I beg, however, that it be distinctly understood, that I do not herein claim unto myself any extraordinary degree of merit. The task is much easier for me at the present day, than it must have been to Sir William Jones in his time. He had, most probably, a single and imperfect Sanskrit manuscript to work upon; whereas I have the choice of two printed texts, besides sundry other minor advantages which it were needless to enumerate.

That the reader may understand the difficulties that Sir William Jones had to encounter, I may mention that from the earliest times on record till towards the close of the last century, the Sanskrit language continued to be the sacred and jealously guarded depository of the ancient stores of knowledge possessed by the Hindus. This learned language, which is the key to these treasures, the Brahmans, with tenacious hands, long withheld from all those not of their own faith and caste. Not all the threats and promises of their Muslim conquerors could induce them to unveil the secrets of their ancient Shastras. Even the mild and enlightened Akbar was obliged to have recourse to a little artifice1 in order to gain some information respecting

1 There is a pretty little romance, as we are told, connected with the stratagem here alluded to. Akbar had, in his young days, placed under the care of a learned Brahman, a very promising Muslim boy named Faizī, giving out that this youth was the son of a Hindu of high rank who had been killed in battle. The Brāhman was enjoined to spare neither pains nor expense in training him up in all the learning of the Hindus. So far every thing went on well, till Faizi, in due time, fell in love with his master's daughter, and then confessed that he had all along been a Muslim. The Brahman's mistake was now, however, past remedy, the lovers were united, and Faizī ever after held a high place at Akbar's court. He also translated from Sanskrit into Persian several of the Hindu scientific and philosophic works with which he had become acquainted. Yea, further, Akbar and himself, by comparing the Muhammadan and Hindū

the religion of the most numerous portion of his subjects. Little more than eighty years ago, Mr. N. B. Halhed, the first Englishman who was enabled to acquire even the slightest smattering of Sanskrit, states "that very lately only, and that altogether by accident, he had been enabled to procure even the slender information he possessed; that the Pandits were resolute in rejecting all his solicitations for instruction in this language; and that the persuasion and influence of the Governor-General were in vain exerted to the same purpose.'

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The Honourable Warren Hastings so far prevailed on the Brahmans as to get them to compile a digest of their laws, or of such of them as they were pleased to communicate, in the Persian language. This work was then translated from the Persian into English, by Mr. Halhed, under the title of "A Code of Gentoo Laws, &c.," and published in London, 1781, 8vo. Shortly after the completion of this task, Mr. Halhed states, (Preface xxxv.) "that he had been happy enough to become acquainted with a Bramin of liberal sentiments, and of a more communicative disposition than his brethren, joined to an extensive knowledge acquired both by study and travel; he eagerly embraced the opportunity of profiting by the help of so able a master, and exerted all his diligence upon so curious and uncommon a subject."

religions, concocted a novel and philosophic system of their own, dismissing all that was absurd in the other two. This new religion, as might be expected, met with little favour from either Muslim or Hindu, with the exception of a few of the more intelligent, or indifferent, among the courtiers.

CHAPTER II.

CHATURANGA.

THE term Chaturanga is compounded of the two Sanskrit words, chatur, "four;" and anga, "a member," or "component part." As an adjective it is very nearly equivalent to our word "quadripartite," and is generally applied to an army composed, in certain proportions, of four distinct species of forces. These were, anciently, elephants, horses, ships (or more recently chariots), and infantry. In this sense we find it used adjectively by the ancient Hindū poet, Vālmīki, in his celebrated epic the "Rāmāyana," book ii. cap. 51. Chaturangam hyapi valam su-mahat prasahemahi," i.e., "we may, indeed, subdue this most mighty quadripartite force."

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Chaturanga, as a neuter substantive, denotes the "Game of Chess," which originally represented an image of ancient Hindu warfare; the mimic forces therein employed being precisely the four species above described. It has been objected to this primitive game that the introduction of the ship or boat is an anomaly; but the objection is more plausible than valid; and, in fact, it forms one of the best proofs that the game is of Indian origin. It is well known that the vast alluvial plains of the Panjab, as well as those bordering on the Ganges, are, for nearly one-third of the year, flooded with water, arising, in the first place, from the melting of the mountain snow in spring;

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