How many squares are on the chessboard? 5 interesting facts about the game

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:45

Chess is the most famous and ancient strategy game. A small set of rules and figures has been the most popular pastime for 16 centuries, first of the nobility, and then of intellectuals and educated people. Despite its popularity, few people can tell anything about chess, the chessboard and the game other than the rules.

How many squares are on the chessboard?

Chess was invented in India around the 5th-6th century. According to legend, the creation of the game is attributed to an unknown brahmin (representative of one of the highest spiritual castes of society). A simple chessboard 8 by 8 (64 squares), a small list of understandable rules and figures was so fond of the local rajah that he suggested that the brahmin himself choose a reward for his labors.

Then the sage asked to pay him with wheat. The number had to be calculated from the number of cells on the playing field: the number of grains for each cell was doubled, starting from one. At first, the raja laughed and thought that the sage was not as far-sighted as it seemed from the game. To everyone who is familiar withIn geometric progressions, it is not difficult to calculate the number of grains required to fill an 8 by 8 checkerboard equals 2⁶⁴. To accommodate the required amount of wheat, a 180 km warehouse would be required^{3. Not only the Rajah, but the whole world would not have such a quantity of grain.}

What is Chaturanga?

In ancient India, the Chaturanga was a special unit consisting of 4 different types of troops: war elephant, cavalry, infantry and war chariot. There were options for 2 and 4 participants, dice were involved in the process.

It is stated in English-language literature that 4-player chaturanga was the first version of chess. However, this is not known for certain, the fact is that none of the written sources that have come down to us describes the rules. We can only say that there were as many squares on the Chaturanga field as there were squares on the chessboard. Chaturanga arose later than the 6th century and cannot be the progenitor of chess, only one of the varieties of fun.

Chessboard dimensions

There are no clear sizes of the field for chess. The board depends on the type of game. In the classic version, the number of cells on the chessboard is the same as in Chaturang - 64. Chinese xiangqi and Korean changi are designed for a field of 9x9 cells. And in the Persian version of shatranj, there are as many cells as there are on the chessboard in our usual version.

Today the board for the game is made of wood or stone in the form of a book - a box. In Indiathey preferred a rug made of fabric with printed divisions, and in Arab and Persian countries they could even play on a mosaic floor.

Chess and the Christian Church

On the altar panel in the Augustinian church in Pesaro there is a fresco depicting a game between Pontician and Saints Augustine and Alipy (the event dates back to the 4th century). It should be noted that the attitude of the church to the game was not always unambiguous. The fact is that in Europe XI-XIV centuries. the Arabic version of the chaturanga, where bones were required, became widespread. Chess was declared "an invention of the Devil", the Russian Orthodox Church provided for excommunication for passion for the game. Although all the prohibitions did not prevent the church ministers themselves from being avid chess players, as evidenced by the figures regularly found by archaeologists on the site of ancient monasteries and churches.

Chess and Art

Since the advent of the custom-made portrait, pictures in which the customer is drawn at the process of playing chess have not gone out of fashion. Intellectual fun was held in high esteem by politicians, scientists and other representatives of the highest nobility.

An interesting fact is that chess was not considered purely male fun. In fact, the love of strategy among the stronger sex was so strong that they often taught the game to their own wives and daughters. Then a worthy partner was always "at hand", and it was not necessary to go to the men's club to play an interesting game. Famous writers Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare were drawing while playing chess.

Masterfully executed chess pieces and board can be a work of art in themselves. As, for example, the author's chess dedicated to the Patriotic War of 1812, presented in the photo above. The idea of fun - the opposition of black and white - gives ample opportunities for interpretation and creation of a certain entourage of the game.

In this version, the figures are made of ebony - natural bone. Pedestals are responsible for the color of the chess, and some elements are made of precious metals by a real jeweler. According to the author of the figures himself, he is not a historian, and inaccuracies are possible in the costumes, the main task was to convey the spirit of that time. It is very difficult to carry out such projects alone, at least 4 masters worked on the creation of the War of 1812 chess during the year.

How many times Russians have become world chess champions

It needs to be clarified that there are two major chess communities and two rating tables of the strongest. This situation has developed as a result of the actions of Kasparov and Short. In 1993, both champion contenders accused the International Chess Organization (FIDE, existed since 1948) of bias, withdrew their membership, losing their titles, and organized the Professional Chess Organization (PCHA). Since 2006, the opponents have been able to find compromises, and the unity of the championships has been restored.

Soviet and Russian chess playersbecame champions more often than representatives of other countries. According to FIDE, at different times the title of the best grandmasters was won by the following individuals:

• Alexander Alekhine (1927 - 1935, 1937 - 1946).
• Mikhail Botvinnik (1948 - 1957, 1958 - 1960, 1961 - 1963).
• Visaliy Smyslov (1957 - 1958).
• Mikhail Tal (1960 - 1961).
• Tigran Petrosyan (1963 - 1969).
• Boris Spassky (1969 - 1972).
• Anatoly Karpov (1975 - 1985).
• Garry Kasparov (1985 - 1993).
• Alexander Khalifman (1999 - 2000).
• Vladimir Kramnik (2006 - 2007).

From 2013 to this day, Norwegian Magnus Carlsen has been the world chess champion.