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Encyclopedia > Early Arabic chess literature

With the sole exception of two works in Middle Persian (the Karnamak and the Chatranj Namak) all of the early works (pre-1000) on chess were written by Arabic authors. At this point in the origins of chess the rules were those of Shatranj. Pahlavi is a term that refers: (1) to a script used in Iran derived from the Aramaic script, and (2) more broadly, to Middle Persian, the Middle Iranian language written in this script. ... ( 9th century - 10th century - 11th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... Chess (from the Persian word Shah) is a board game and mental sport for two players. ... The definition of who an Arab is has three main aspects: Political: whether they live in a country which is a member of the Arab League (or, more vaguely, the Arab world); this definition covers more than 300 million people. ... The origins of chess is one of the most controversial areas of board gaming history. ... Shatranj. ...


During the golden age of Arabic, many works on chess were written, recording for the first time the analysis of opening games, chess problems, the knight's tour, and many more subjects common in modern chess books. Many of these are missing; while we have firm evidence of their existence, no copies are known to have survived. A golden age is period in a field of endeavour where great tasks were accomplished. ... Arabic (العربية) is a Semitic language, closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... The first moves of a chess game are the opening moves, collectively referred to as the opening or the book. ... Excelsior by Sam Loyd. ... A knights tour of a chessboard The Knights Tour is a mathematical problem involving a knight on a chessboard. ...


The earliest listing of works on chess is in the Kitab al-fihrist, a general bibliography produced in 377 AH (988) by ibn Ishaq an-Nadim. It includes an entire section on the topic of chess, listing: A bibliography is an overview of (almost) all publications in some category: works of some author publications about some specific subject publications published in some specific country publications published in some specific period publications mentioned in, or relevant to, a particular work (a bibliography of this type, sometimes called a... AH may be: an abbreviation for anno Hegirae, indicating that a date is from the Islamic calendar the US Navy hull classification symbol for Hospital Ship an indication of recognition or understanding the IATA code for Air Algerie an abbreviation for Auction House, especially in many MMORPGs. ... Events Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev marries Anna, sister of Byzantine emperor Basil II and converts to Christianity. ...

  • Al-Adli's Kitab ash-shatranj ('Book of chess')
  • Ar-Razi's Latif fi'sh-shatranj ('Elegance in chess')
  • As-Suli's Kitab ash-shatranj (two volumes)
  • Al-Lajlaj's Kitab mansubat ash-shatranj ('Book of chess-positions or problems')
  • B. Aliqlidisi's Kitab majmu'fi mansubat ash-shatranj ('Collection of chess problems')

(list based upon translation by Harold Murray) Rhazes_Treating a Patient (artist unknown) Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al_Razi (born in Rayy, Iran, 864; died in Iraq, 930 AD) was a versatile Persian philosopher (hakim), who made fundamental and lasting contributions to the fields of medicine, chemistry (alchemy) and philosophy. ... Abu-Bakr Muhammad ben Yahya as-Suli (circa 880 - 946) was an Arab shatranj (an ancestor of chess) player who came to prominence sometime in between 902 and 908 when he beat al-Mawardi, the court shatranj champion of al-Mukafti, the Caliph of Baghdad. ... Harold James Ruthven Murray (June 24, 1868 - May 16, 1955) born in Peckham Rye, London, son of James Murray (editor of the Oxford English Dictionary), the eldest of eleven children, was most prominent as a chess historian. ...


There is a passage referring to chess in a work said to be by Hasan, a philosopher from Basra who died in 728; however the attribution of authorship is dubious. Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abu Talib (c. ... Location of Basra Basra (also known as Başrah or Basara; historically sometimes called Busra, Busrah, and early on Bassorah; Arabic: , Al-Basrah) is the second largest city of Iraq with an estimated population of about 1,377,000 in 2003. ... Events Births Deaths The Danish king Angantyr on Samsoe Categories: 728 ...


  Results from FactBites:
 
Chess Guide > History (383 words)
The earliest evidence for chess is the middle-Persian epic Karnamak-i-Artakhshatr-i-Papakan which mentioned the hero as being skilled at chess (more details at Chess in early literature), this work is dated with some reserve at 600 CE, the work could be as early as 260 CE and as late as 1000 CE.
Even as early as the tenth century Zakaria Yahya commented on the chess myths, "It is said to have been played by Aristotle, by Yafet Ibn Nuh (Japhet son of Noah), by Sam ben Nuh (Shem), by Solomon for the loss of his son, and even by Adam when he grieved for Abel".
In one case the invention of chess was attributed to Moses (by the rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra 1130 CE).
  More results at FactBites »


 
 

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