I beg the reader to accept merely for whatever it may be worth. I think it probable that the Queen was for the first time introduced among the Chess pieces in this very set, presented to Charlemagne; and that it was done partly out of compliment to Irene, and partly as a symbol of the union then under consideration between the two great sovereigns of Christendom. For ought we know, it may have been intended as a hint from Irene to her amorous admirer, that in case the match took place she had no intention of being a mere sleeping partner in the concern. Be this, however, as it may, the two terms, "Ferzia" and "Regina," the former adopted from the Saracens, and the latter from Charlemagne's imperial Chess-board, came to be used as synonymous for some centuries afterwards.

CHAPTER XVI.

Modern Oriental Chess.-Chess in Abyssinia.-Chess in Syria and Arabia.-Chess in Egypt.-Chess in Persia.-Chess in Hindūstān.

I HAVE now, to the best of my abilities, endeavoured to trace the History and Progress of Chess from the early invention of the Royal Game on the Banks of the Ganges, till the period of its establishment on the Banks of the Thames, in the tenth century of the Christian æra. The outlines of several of the preceding chapters appeared in the "Illustrated London News," in the years 1854 and 1855, when I was interrupted by more serious engagements from continuing the task. I then addressed the following brief notice to the Editor, viz. :—

"It was my intention to have drawn up a few chapters more on Oriental Chess; but I am prevented by other occupations from doing the subject (which is by no means exhausted), that degree of justice which I think it deserves; and I am, besides, unwilling any longer to retard the disquisition by Sir Frederic Madden and Mr. Staunton upon the Progress of Medieval Chess in Europe. The matters which I leave untouched are-1st, a chapter on the Art of Playing without Seeing the Board,'1

1 The chapter on Blindfold Play I have incorporated with Chapter XII., to which it naturally belongs.

which is given very full in one of the MSS., and is remarkable from its close resemblance to that given by Damiano; 2nd, a full account of the Great Chess,'' as played at the Barbaric Court of Samarkand in the last half of the fourteenth century; 3rd, an attempt to trace the course of the Shatranj from Persia to Arabia, Byzantium, and Western Europe. Lastly, a brief account of Chess as played at the present time in various Asiatic regions. For the accomplishment of this last task, however, my materials are rather scanty; and I should like to see the subject taken up by some of our countrymen resident in the East, who must necessarily possess better means of information."

Since I penned the last sentence, however, some five years ago, I have found, on careful examination, that my materials for the task there alluded to are less scanty than I was then aware of; and I therefore now proceed to its accomplishment. I have been very particular in selecting the best authorities, and in a few instances, where I think these have made mistakes, I have pointed them out in notes and comments of my own.

The game of Chess, as played at the present day, along the north and east coasts of Africa, and throughout Asia, with the exception of China, is either the Medieval Game itself, or the same more or less advanced in a transition state. In regions rarely frequented by Europeans, such as Abyssinia and the Burmese Empire, we find that the mediæval game still retains its ground. Again, in Turkey, Arabia, Persia, Hindustan, and the Indian Archipelago, the mode of play approximates our own. We there find, for instance, that the Queen and Bishop have

The Great Chess is fully treated of in Chapter XI.

2 This part of my intentions I have endeavoured to realize in the four preceding chapters.

attained their full sway, and that Castling of some kind or other has been adopted.

The points in which the Asiatic game differs from ours, are, generally speaking, the following:-In the first place the board may or may not be chequered, and if chequered, it is of no earthly consequence whether a white or a black spot be placed at each player's right hand. 2nd. In arranging the men, each player puts his King on the fourth square from his right-hand corner, and the Queen on the next square, to the left. 3rd. As a general rule, a Pawn can move only one square at starting, hence there can be no dispute about a Pawn's liability to be taken, en passant, by an adverse Pawn. Lastly, the mode of castling, as we shall see, varies in different countries, but none of them is exactly the same as ours. This being premised, I now proceed to lay before the reader a selection of the most authentic accounts of "Modern Chess in the East," that I have been enabled to procure.

Chess in Abyssinia.

We may safely conclude that the Abyssinians, as well as the people inhabiting the valley of the Nile in general, are indebted to the Arabs for their knowledge of the Game of Chess. In the third volume of Lord Valentia's "Travels in the East" we have an account of the manner in which the game was played in Abyssinia some sixty years ago; and, as we might naturally expect, we find that it had undergone no alteration since it was brought there by the Arabs soon after the latter had received it from Persia-in fact, that it was then, and most probably is now, the Medieval game or Shatranj. On Lord Valentia's return from Ceylon and India to the Red Sea,

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he sent his secretary, Mr. Salt, on a mission to Abyssinia —a country not visited for, perhaps, a century before, by any European, with the sole exception of the enterprising and energetic Bruce. The Ras, or Prince of Abyssinia, in those days was Welleta Sebasse, an intelligent man by all accounts, and greatly devoted to Chess. The following extract is from Mr. Salt's journal, as given in page 57, vol. iii. of Valentia's Travels, quarto edition. On our arrival at Antalow, we found the Ras at breakfast, and were invited to join him. The Ras was in good humour, and asked many questions about our Churches, our King, &c. An old woman was standing behind him, whom he very significantly introduced as a proper person for us to become acquainted with, as she had many young ladies under her care. In the evening we went into the hall, and found the Ras at Chess in the midst of his chiefs. The chessmen, which were coarsely made of ivory, are very large and clumsy: when they have occasion to take any one of their adversary's pieces, they strike it with great force and eagerness from its place. I observed that their game differs much from ours. Bishops jump over the heads of Knights, and are only allowed to move three squares. The Pawns move only one step at starting, and get no rank by reaching the end of the board. They play with much noise every person around, even the slaves, having a voice in the game, and seizing the pieces at pleasure to show any advisable move. We observed, however, that they always managed with great ingenuity to let the Ras win every game."

Mr. Salt says, a few pages further on-"We found the Ras engaged at Chess with one of his chiefs. On seeing us, he offered his hand, seating me by his side. Our patience, however, was nearly exhausted before the

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