A History of Chess

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A History of Chess is a history book by Harold James Ruthven Murray published in 1913.

Murray's aim is threefold: to present as complete a record as is possible of the varieties of chess that exist or have existed in different parts of the world; to investigate the ultimate origin of these games and the circumstances of the invention of chess; and to trace the development of the modern European game from the first appearance of its ancestor, the Indian chaturanga, in the beginning of the seventh century.

The first part of the book describes the history of the Asiatic varieties of chess, the Arabic and Persian literature on chess, and the theory and practice of the game of Shatranj. The second part is concerned with chess in Europe in the Middle Ages, its role in literature and in the moralities, and with medieval chess problems, leading up to the beginning of modern chess and the history of the modern game through to the nineteenth century.

Murray's comprehensive discussion of the wide ranging sources and of chess problems makes it unlikely that this book will ever be equalled. It is referred to as the authoritative source by every modern writer on chess history. It is the first published source of the theory that chess originated in India; a theory that prevailed for most of the twentieth century.

As of 2005, a first edition of the book in very good condition costs about £400 in the UK and about US$700.

Murray's companion work was A History of Board-Games other than Chess.

[edit] Bibliography

• Murray, H. J. R. A History of Chess (London: Oxford University Press, 1913)
• Murray, H. J. R. A History of Chess (Northampton, MA: Benjamin Press, 1985) ISBN 0-936317-01-9