A Brief History of the Game of Chess

A 2012 survey found that 605 million people play chess regularly, nearly 1500 years after the game was first played. The names of the pieces and the moves may have changed, but the rules that developed over a millennium and a half represent a culmination of many cultures and players that helped to develop the Game of Kings. The forgotten history of the game of chess deserves to be remembered.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
You can purchase the bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar:
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All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
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Script by JCG
#history #thehistoryguy #chess

[@junked5214]

I never played until I went to prison. The game is wildly popular in prison. People even pass notes between buildings and cell pods and play each other that way.

[@michaelbauers8800]

There was an infamous player named Claude Bloodgood. I think he killed his mom. He's famous for two things besides being a famous(infamous?) player who was in prison. (1) He was proficient at the fascinating, but questionable opening the Grob ( or spike) opening; (2) At one point he had a really high rating from playing games with fellow prisoners, and via mail; I have heard different versions of the story. In one version, he was said to have pointed out that it was a flaw in how ratings were calculated in a closed system. In another version, he was accused of some sort of dishonesty. Anyway, interesting player in the history of chess. He even wrote a book on the Grob I think.

[@ZERO_42069]

Thats cool as hell, never knew they played chess in there

[@mikitz]

@@ZERO_42069 To my knowledge, being in jail might get a bit boring between the meals and getting fucked up the ass.

[@stevegaines3590]

@@mikitz hahahah i've been to prison two times.....i never saw any butt love....99% a myth to scare ppl...

[@b1646717]

I saw some brilliant players there. I was in a pod with a guy who would give up half of his major pieces just to get someone to play him and still destroy them and whoever was standing around helping the victim. I really made me wonder how good a grandmaster is compared to a player like that.

[@dirkditmer453]

Love playing chess. Was taught by my grandfather who never "let" me win. He was brutal, but he taught me incredible life lessons through it. Think before you act, learn from your mistakes, etc. Thank you again, History Guy. Yet another fascinating look into history.

[@blahsomethingclever]

Hah! I'm teaching my kids chess right now that they're forcibly home schooled, it counts as their math HW. I usually give them heavy odds like rooks and queen, and it just gives me such joy when they think they're winning and there is some combination that blows them away. They're also playing online, my oldest son is already 1250. I can tell they're learning those life lessons like you did;)

[@michaelwier1222]

Dirk Ditmer....And to think ahead several moves. The consequences or rewards of your actions.

[@FLPhotoCatcher]

He mentioned that the board was originally 8 inches x 8 inches, but that does not mean that it had to be 8 squares x 8 squares = 64 total. Also, I wonder when the knight regained a living (horse) form after the Arabs had made the pieces symbolic..

[@larrypesek8818]

I also was taught by my Grandpa... He may have let me win at times, but I remember more of him saying,"you sure about that?"... :)

[@JohnDoe-pv2iu]

@@larrypesek8818 Yep, 'Are you Sure you want to do that?'! The most important thing I learned in the game was using all of your pieces. I can't remember how many times I played a Good chess player and the easy way to win was 'swap queens' with them! People learn to rely on one single biggest asset, and if they lose it are mentally defeated! Great Video! Yall take Care and be safe, John

[@Ammobucket]

Over a chess board is where I learned to curse proficiently.

[@timmmahhhh]

A skill I still develop every time I play!

[@uriahheep5665]

A chess board taught me getting pissed doesn't make you a better player, getting your ass beat many times over certainly CAN help. Saving your temper might even allow opponents enough time to teach a temperament that is conducive to winning. Keep on playin', the best is yet to come!🇺🇸❤️🤍💙. Thank you , History Guy! 😷

[@catjudo1]

My daughter wanted me to teach her chess when she was seven and I was happy to do so. We have played many games, heated affairs where skill and intellect are largely replaced with ineptitude and gratuitous heckling. It's all in fun, though neither of us lets the other win. We often play on the set my grandfather made; one of his coworkers bet him twenty dollars back in the early 60's that he couldn't make one. So he made one. We can't play on it as much anymore as the newest members of the family enjoy swatting pieces off the table and watching them as they fall. Not even the valiant knight is a match for the blue eyed tuna eating dragon and her brother, the orange tabby griffin.

[@scottmantooth8785]

*the kingdom is in need of a champion...being besieged as it is by such stealthy an cunning beasts*

[@treehousekohtao]

Not too sure i would claim ownership over this wholesome acid trip.

[@ed4wg380]

You sound like a writer.

[@houseofmatrix6174]

That’s awesome

[@hal4192]

😂😂👍🏻

[@Ammo08]

I learned to play chess from my older brother when I was just 6. I have always had a chess board handy when I traveled. I remember playing chess with a South Korean airman...he didn't speak English and I didn't speak Korean, but we could play chess.

[@user-lt9oc8vf9y]

16th century: "shall we name this piece castle or tower?" 21th century: "they are all juicers"

[@user-wq1vz2mu9k]

Maybe rooks 😂!

[@HoopTY303]

My Father made a point to teach me chess when I was very young. I love the game but admittedly I never got the hang of thinking more than one move ahead. I couldn’t count how many times my Father and I have played chess but I can count how many times I have won. Two times, and only because I was lucky enough to capitalize on his rare oversight. Great episode, thank you!

[@londonassassin9894]

A little trick to teach your self is by playing yourself , start a game and be both black and white and it’ll force you to think of multiple moves. When you revert back to being only white or black you will think 2 moves ahead or more

[@SoloPilot6]

The most important lesson that chess teaches: "We're ALL pawns, my dear!"

[@lp-xl9ld]

No, that was the most important lesson taught by THE PRISONER

[@tabletopwarrior]

Pee ons.

[@ChessInstructorSF]

Yeah but the pawn when it reaches the 8th rank it gets promoted, so that is a lesson in perseverance and achievements. A pawn is not just a pawn, it has the potential of becoming greater.

[@Wildstar40]

@@lp-xl9ld You are Number 6 ! I am not a number ! I am a free man !

[@voiceofraisin3778]

Theres always that one smart ass pawn!

[@blahsomethingclever]

The coolest thing about chess is that no game is ever the same. Such a small board, but always different. I love chess!! It's so many things at once, too much to put into words.

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

That's the way I see it, a new puzzle every move

[@joshuatift4640]

@@DANTHETUBEMAN yeah I’m starting to now see the game in that light as well

[@bryandepaepe5984]

Best Chess advice I can give is, let the Wookie win.

[@aircates]

Lest thy have thine arms forcibly removed from thine sockets...

[@QuietlyWatchingTheWorldBurn]

@@aircates ...thus with great glee and zeal, the wookie pummel thine body to ruin.

[@aircates]

Aaron Walker and thus Wookie supremacy was returneth upon high and the Wookiee rejoiced at the droid whom he had smitten.

[@Onizukachan915]

Layne Staley I bet you are fun at parties.

[@uriahheep5665]

@@aircates You won't hear that from the wookie whose crotch hair ended up on Donald's head!

[@fintan9218]

This was a great quick coverage of the vast history of the game. You covered far more than I expected in 14min.

[@DrewJersey2024]

I began learning to play chess at a very young age & due to the skills required to excel, I began teaching my son the game the moment he was old enough to remember the names of each piece. I feel that learning the strategic thinking and complex problem solving skills required to master this game make it such a valuable asset, that it should be a staple in homes and schools. I view each piece as a living person and as such, see the value of each and the humanity each represents, as opposed to the “sacrifice it, it’s only a pawn” mentality so many employ when playing the game. I couldn’t agree more than when u say, “it’s so much more than just a game”. Great video, thanks! 👍🏼

[@rickolson9011]

A beautifully executed, very informative lesson in history! Thanks for the hard work!

[@Jleelowrey]

I love this channel. It's always different, but also interesting. Thank you.

[@Onoelo23gf]

Shatranj was first played in India. The had the King, the Vazir, the horse, the camel and the elephant. The pawn/soldier could only move one square at a time, except the first pawn, who could move 2 squares. The King could move 2.5 squares once, over standing pieces.

[@iwanttwoscoops]

2.5…?

[@userneverexisted]

Everything is correct except 2.5

[@kaoriyamamoto7682]

​@@userneverexisted They mean 2 step forward 1 step sideward

[@userneverexisted]

@@kaoriyamamoto7682 hey i love Japan

[@tonylove4800]

I knew a reasonable amount of this before the video but this is far and away the best summary of chess history I have ever seen. And I am a chess fanatic!. Great job!

[@russcrawford3310]

"Chess is neither an art nor a science, but rather a war" -- Emmanual Lasker

[@laxmichains8021]

Y don't u win it then

[@beedwarf]

No. Just a board game.

[@parthpawar]

Lasker means aarmy in Urdu language 😀

[@kishascape]

No it’s an art. Kasparov and Karpov even said so themselves.

[@mokew1257]

Did nobody notice?? Brilliant how in the background of your cameos that the chess board behind you had been changed between scenes!

[@TrulydaMoosey]

Good sir, Your introduction speech to this video immediately won over a subscription. It's not often that a video can stop me in my tracks. You have a gift that our younger generations so desperately need during these times of instant gratification.

[@stefanschleps8758]

Just speaking for myself. This is the singularly most interesting and thoroughly enjoyable episode to date. Absolutely excellent! Bravo! Encore?

[@Echowhiskeyone]

I learned chess from my mother and great-grandfather. I played through school, college and into the Navy. Always preferred playing with older players, WWII vets. Good games, great times, coffee and stories. A quarter century later, I am writing down these stories. Amazing how much I have forgotten.

[@williamsanders5066]

What was your rate and duty station(s) in the Navy??

[@Echowhiskeyone]

@@williamsanders5066 I was an EW, then a bit as CTT til I got out. Corry Station, Pensacola for 13 months schooling. 4 1/2 years USS Sacramento(AOE-1) in Bremerton. Then Fleet Information Warfare Center(FIWC), San Diego, deployed to Abraham Lincoln Battle Group staff to finish. Four deployments, six years, all WestPac.

[@williamsanders5066]

@@Echowhiskeyone I was an OS. I too was at FIWC Little Creek Amphibious Base VA. As well stationed on USS Semmes DDG 18, Charleston SC, USS Cape Cod AD 43 & USS Kinkaid DD 965 San Diego, USS Whidbey Island LSD 41, USS Wasp LHD 1, FCTCLANT Dam Neck Operations Specialist A School Instructor twice, and COMUSNAVCENT Bahrain. Spent time in Bremerton in 1984 and 1985 on USS Cape Cod. Worked on several ships there including USS Sphinx.

[@Echowhiskeyone]

@@williamsanders5066 Nice. Good to meet an Overly Stupid squid. This comes from an Ever Wonderful, Extremely Weird, Eternally Waterbound squid. That said, OS's were among my best friends and FIWC was an awesome stationing. I played chess with the old guys at McDonald's on WA3 on top of the hill heading towards Silverdale, that does not exist anymore.

[@williamsanders5066]

@@Echowhiskeyone Nice meeting you too. Thanks for your service Shipmate

[@somerandomguy3868]

I've loved the game my whole life, I still play but mostly in the winter

[@peggyfranzen6159]

For myself, the game of ' Go'- is a little more universal.

[@scottyj6226]

I wish I had someone to play with, but you know,.....facebook.😰

[@stefanschleps8758]

Like many of us! There are winter chess clubs in Europe.

[@briannicholas2757]

Chess, Go, Backgammon and Mahjong, the greatest and most interesting games created. Thank you for this video, chess has been my favorite game since I was about 12. I'm 55 now and still love it and am still learning. That's what makes it so perfect.

[@powerful0962]

What I learned from chess 1. There always is a best move in any position, it's only about finding it. 2. Can you hold your nerve and think clearly in pressure situations. 3. Think before you act. 4. Develop your traits (pieces) if not you'll not last long. 5. Great moves may require sacrifice.

[@ecardozo7043]

About 2... Also hold nerve when winning...

[@xvsj5833]

Thank you for sharing you Research & Knowledge. Love Chess

[@ChessInstructorSF]

Thanks! My favorite subject takes about by my favorite guy! Well done.

[@MagisterCobb]

I had always heard that “Shah Mat” was translated as “the king is dead”. Great video thank you!

[@tonyennis3008]

You are correct

[@belka8618]

Yes that's correct

[@calebcapson811]

Hakuna Matata!

[@scottmantooth8785]

*the king needs to learn when to duck....just sayin'*

[@jordaneggerman4734]

"1.....2.....5!" "Three, sir!" "Three!"

[@Rufus6540]

Love this! My knowledge of chess up until this point was the entrance to the musical Chess. They stated that one origin story had two Indian princes fighting over who would rule with the unfortunate result that one was killed. Their mother blamed the surviving son despite his efforts to tell her how things really were. He asked the wisest man he knew how to get through to her and he explained he'd be certain to impress by using model soldiers on a checkered board to show it was his brother's fault - they thus invented chess.

[@profoundpronoun4712]

I’ve been binging your videos! Thanks for making them!

[@kyleschneider1718]

This was a fantastic video, and the way it was set up, superb!

[@skypilot257]

Chess is much like life. The King moves one square at a time and the Queen can do just about anything she wants. 😃

[@psidvicious]

And the queen just gets captured by the other side. There is no capturing the king. It’s game over.

[@FobbitMike]

@eric haase The pawn can be promoted to any piece except the king. The promotion is NOT limited to captured pieces. Since there are 8 pawns, you could promote them all to queens and have up to 9 of them. Of course, that would mever happen. Bobby Fischer once played a game against Tigran Petrosian where each side had two queens.

[@patrickharrison8978]

This made my day

[@Tkidddd]

@eric haase you could have two queens , and still get stalemated.

[@thomaspollock3904]

The narrator points out how chess changes with the culture it finds itself in. So after it moved from East to West the advisor became a queen and increased in power until it was the most powerful piece on the board. Of course if you question female dominance the narrator will call you "misogynistic" like a good munchkin.

[@farajaraf]

Love this channel...

[@snakecharm74]

One of your best! Fascinating!!

[@danhusker1413]

You were very thorough in your research. Thanks for a great job. I once found that India invented chess to teach their cadets strategy, back when India had one of the greatest empires in the world. The rook then was not actually a castle (who can move that kind of real estate) but was an elephant. The term rook is a Hindi word that refers to the barrier on top of the elephant, protecting the driver and 1 or 2 archers. Also the bishop back then was a sailing boat to speed up and down rivers to drop off commando raids. The history is all so old, who knows what the real truth is. I very much appreciate your channel. Thanks.

[@hellavadeal]

I loved the game from the first time my father showed me how to play when i was 10. Still like to play it even if i loose. Makes you use your brain.

[@warehousejo007]

this channel is so good it makes me cry. 👍🏽

[@slartybartfarst55]

Love the Chess Set & Rodin's The Thinker Behind. True Class!

[@stevedietrich8936]

"The Puritans thought chess was frivolous." Well Yeah! The Puritans thought everything was frivolous.

[@qwertyuiopzxcfgh]

@@anthonycalbillo9376 praising the lord, working to provide for your family... I think that's it?

[@uriahheep5665]

@wargent99 I seldom check "enclosed links", but hey, thanks! very informative!

[@CHIL2903]

They were a nasty bunch of religious nutters, that's why the got the hell out of England because they weren't allowed to practice their version of religion. They didn't get along with other practitioners of the faith either listverse.com/2018/05/19/10-horrifying-ways-americas-puritans-persecuted-the-quakers/

[@eugenetswong]

@@anthonycalbillo9376 they were big on art, music, fashion, and personal development. I wouldn't be surprised if they were keen on learning about the natural world.

[@jordaneggerman4734]

@@eugenetswong the parts they thought pertained to them. They weren't interested in the sustainability that the life, which the Native Americans lived, provided.

[@djmaciiii]

I spent a couple months traveling Europe in 1995, and I brought a small chess set with me. I probably played over 100 games and only lost to one person. That person was an incredibly intoxicated bar owner in Heidelberg Germany, and he one 3 straight games. But I think the most fun playing was at the Salzburg castle where they had massive wooden pieces that you could even stand on to get a better view of the board. I think my favorite time chess has been used in a movie was in Seventh Seal, where the character is allowed to live while he plays chess with death.

[@normanhumphrey9695]

Great topic, very interesting. Thank you for the video.

[@ovip40]

Thank you for a well done, informal documentary!

[@wangbot47]

I love this channel

[@jmc597]

10:56 - Queen should be on her own color (white queen starts the game on white square).

[@ldgaming4213]

Yes, but only if the dark square is in the bottom left of the board.

[@BatCaveOz]

@@ldgaming4213 "White on the right, Queen on her colour."

[@AS-mw6pw]

@@ldgaming4213 the dark is in the bottom left of the board there though

[@SooprTruffaut]

Sir, I just started watching your channel with the video on the Great Vowel Shift and I'm very impressed with the content and the way you present it; put frankly: I like the cut of your jib!

[@shadowandbosco]

Videos are always informative and well presented

[@stephen9869]

So it had a chequered history it seems.

[@alex0589]

Stephen sit back down, sir

[@sixstringedthing]

The door is to your left. Your coat is hanging next to it.

[@timmmahhhh]

Well played.

[@uriahheep5665]

@@alex0589 Sit down, then STAND UP PROUDLY!!!!....sir!

[@uriahheep5665]

@@sixstringedthing The door is to your left. Your coat is hanging next to it, and DAMN!.....you seem to be hanging in your damn coat....!

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

One of my favorite Yes songs is Your Move, or the Chess Song.

[@ELCADAROSA]

Great opening video and great subject!!!

[@Annur375]

Wonderful presentation, thanks for sharing it.

[@brothertheo2677]

Fascinating as always! You didn't mention 3D chess from Star Trek.

[@100forks]

Chess is the only game scientifically proven to increase your knowledge each time you play it. It also endows the player to think ahead which greatly improves his ability to perform daily activities.

[@jayceperlmutter4317]

Thank you for the photo (although only briefly shown) of the Lewis Chessmen - the story of the Viking walrus ivory trading network between Norway and Iceland and back to Europe might be an interesting topic for your exploration - thanks again!

[@steveclark4291]

Thank you for an interesting article on chess ! Take care , stay safe and healthy wherever your research takes you next ! Doing well here in Kansas .

[@TomKeown]

Thank you for fixing the chessboard in the opening sequence!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Those are templates that I drop a logo in- so I actually can't control much. This one is a different template than the other chess one we used before.

[@RPRIMICI]

Would be interesting to do a history of backgammon --- another classic boardgame. It seems to be popular in the middle east to this day since many play in the coffee shops.

[@markadams7046]

Isn't that game thought to be older than chess in origin?

[@paulbuffey9165]

Always informative. A charming educator.

[@carolynnunes3922]

Thank you for this video!

[@EverettBurger]

A few years ago, I was teaching in the middle east. During a lunch break, one of my students asked me to play chess with him. I was intrigued that he called the "bishop" an "elephant". After school that day, I looked up the history of chess and saw that the diagonal moving piece used to be called an elephant until the game reached Europe. It was at that point where Europeans started calling the piece a bishop. But, it is still called the elephant in parts of the world today.

[@pandeia72]

In spanish, it is "alfil" who is from Arabic "the elephant".

[@youssefyoussry7429]

That's true, and in Egypt we call the knight "hosan" which is horse in Arabic, and the queen is called "wazeer" which is advisor in Arabic.

[@adilshah7844]

I'll never sacrifice my queen. But "Vizier" ? --- yes, I will. :P

[@mislavivkovic9996]

From perzia to China India then Marco polo bring to Italy or Venice at the time rest Is history

[@DerTaran]

In German, we call the bishop Läufer (runner), the knight Springer (jumper), the rook Turm (tower), the pawn Bauer (farmer) and the queen Dame (lady/dame). Just the King is der König.

[@johnfritz7222]

Staying on the subject of chess, can you possibly make a video on the Fischer vs. Spasskey matches and maybe include how IBM's Deep Blue beat Spassky but was later found out to be manipulate by other grandmasters and not truly a computer program that could beat the best human although I believe that is now possible as the Chinese game of GO, was mastered by a computer. I have great appreciation for you making these videos, my older brother passed away over 2 years ago at 31 from pneumonia and was very devastating to our family. And having your videos really makes a difference as my little brother who's a medic in the U.S. Army, my father who's going thru his own health issues and, myself all watch your videos and is very nice to have something in common to talk about. Never forget how awesome of a person you are, and wish you all the happiness in the world. I whole heartedly thank you for taking the time to research and make these videos. P.S. my little brother really wants to see a video about post WW1 Germany, the Weimar republic which had I believe a equal to $7 Trillion war debt to pay for the damage done during the war which was only able to be paid in either gold bullion or currency. Can guess which they picked, I also think it would make for a very intriguing episode.

[@jonp3890]

John Fritz That was Kasparov who got his butt whipped by Deep Blue, and, oh boy, was he PISSED.

[@jonathanbush6197]

Later found to be manipulated by grandmasters? Do you have a source for this? GM Nigel Short and other strong players were involved in the development of Deep Blue, but once each game started, all the moves were generated by the machine. The algorithm might have been adjusted between games, but this was all well understood by Kasparov ahead of time. There was no cheating of any kind by Deep Blue, no scandal whatsoever.

[@jonp3890]

Jonathan Bush I know Kasparov said he felt like a critical move in game six (I think it was game six...) looked like it could only have been made by a human grandmaster, and it sort of took off from there, with the proof it didn’t eventually coming later. But Kasparov says there was no real proof, because IBM apparently refused to divulge enough proprietary information on Deep Blue’s “guts” to satisfy him. It’s all there in a fascinating documentary about the whole affair, the name of which escapes me at the moment. It’s been a long time since I saw it, but I’m pretty sure about the above particulars.

[@jonp3890]

Jonathan Bush topdocumentaryfilms.com/game-over-kasparov-and-the-machine/ This is the one.

[@johnfritz7222]

@@jonp3890 100% correct, got my chessmaster names confused. I did see that documentary and he was as pissed as one can be at an inanimate object.

[@HattieMcDanielonaMoon]

So happy I found this channel!

[@mtnvalley9298]

Thanks for you efforts.

[@justasimplecountryboy5877]

I was just sent home due to a classmate testing positive so I can wait to binge these videos while doing homework

[@armyrabb1]

The ONLY A+ I ever got on a report in high school.

[@kennethhicks2113]

Excellent as always, Ty : )

[@IamHenshaw]

I’ve been at sea on a tug boat for the last month, I think the history of tug boats would be an interesting topic. Being at sea, it goes without saying, I have a lot of watching to do to catch up. Thank you for what you do, Mr. History Guy!

[@beaumartinez8705]

I love chess, I've played it for nearly 10 yrs now. Though I'm not the greatest I enjoy the opportunity to test my self against other players.

[@Narrowcros]

6 years for me and still loving it 👍

[@scorpion19142001]

It would be Nice if we Could connect?

[@beaumartinez8705]

Do you use chess.com?

[@uriahheep5665]

@@Narrowcros 50 years!...still works for me!

[@joshuatift4640]

@@beaumartinez8705 I use that one myself

[@jeanfish7]

Chess is basically " a war zone" and battle strategy Game

[@annebradley6086]

I have the book "Devils Chessboard" by Talbot but I'm realizing the book is a Devils Chessboard. A sort of double-agent!

[@crysstoll1191]

No way!

[@annebradley6086]

@@crysstoll1191 please explain why you don't think Chess is a war game. Consider the actual characters.

[@crysstoll1191]

Anne Bradley Sorry, it was meant as a joke but i forgot to put an emoticon. Dangers of commenting while half asleep.

[@adamkendall997]

Uh ya, so is Chutes and Ladders and Hungry Hungry Hippos.

[@kcharles8857]

Brilliant! I have been playing chess all my life, and at last I now have a clearer idea of it's history. Many thanks .

[@captainkeyboard1007]

This was the best forum I had ever seen about the game of chess, the best name for the best game.

[@jennaolbermann7663]

Very interesting video, I love chess and played with my grandpa.

[@adamhuckfeldt2895]

Fascinating. Did anyone else notice the chess set in the background change/ move during the video? Great job History Guy 😀

[@memetoo1002]

Excellent again History Guy! Would like to ditto the Backgammon History request. So much of what you covered on Chess I remember my Dad teaching me though we only played a few times. However we always played a game called Acey-Duecy very similar to Backgammon. Only ran into a handful of people that know it by this name and variation.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great video, HG...👍

[@devone6139]

I remember learning about the Royal Game of It in High School, it was remotely similar but thousands of years older

[@crimson90]

Not similar in the slightest, and how did you edit your comment and still have Ur autocorrected to It?

[@nautifella]

How old *are* you? Clan McCloud ring any bells?

[@uriahheep5665]

@Layne Staley Layne!...., nice to see you're still kickin' Love ya, man!🎵🎶

[@dawnmurphy3225]

Stephen Fry explains the history so succinctly; WOW thank heavens for spell check! Need a drink now

[@Nachbo1234]

Very enjoyable topic and video!

[@apophisxo4480]

Love it! Thank you!!

[@ExperimentIV]

Now you’ve gotta do The Extremely Brief History of Chess the Musical!

[@nautifella]

*_One night in Bangcok..._*

[@peggyfranzen6159]

I move my. hand above. the..

[@ExperimentIV]

@@nautifella i get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine

[@scottyj6226]

I got chiiiiiilllls, They're muliplyin,.....

[@nautifella]

I love chess. I have several chess sets, predominantly of the Staunton Style. I have a tournament set with 4 inch kings and a roll-up _"mouse pad"_ board in my office. And an identical set on a handmade wooden table in my library at home. I also suck profusely at the game.

[@JrGoonior]

Don't feel too bad. I work as a mechanic for a golf course, there are a lot people that love to golf and truly suck at it...

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

JrGoonior Lol I am both! Lol. I love to play chess and golf lol I’m actually better than average at both but never reveal that fact to my opponent until after I’ve beaten them lol

[@JrGoonior]

@@prepperjonpnw6482 A-ha! Don't allow them to get their guard up!

[@grimreaper6557]

thank you for a wonderful video on chess its a wonderful game i had no idea that it was that old

[@mathiassalmon7968]

Would love to see a brief history of poker. Thank you for all your amazing content!

[@Franciscasieri]

Your diction and articulate speech is absolutely beautiful and that tabby gets to hear you every day, lucky kitty.

[@ralphdye451]

My first introduction to Chess, some 60 years ago, was that it was invented by the Chinese to school their Generals in critical tactical thinking. An early strategy session of what we call "War Games". I still love to play and collect unique chess pieces when I can.

[@hapyharyhard0n581]

My dad taught me to play when i was 6. I still play. ...love your videos. Thanks for what you do.

[@drsev61]

I learned from my uncle around age 6-7. I still play today. I've taught my oldest son and waiting for my youngest to get a little older so i can teach him. Wonderful game... may it live forever.

[@Artur_M.]

1:55 "Even the Puritans thought that chess was frivolous". To be honest, that's not surprising at all, for the Puritans nearly everything was frivolous or worse.

[@petergray2712]

They could have brought back self-flagellation, but no even that was too fun. Bastards.

[@Lawofimprobability]

That's something of a false impression. The Puritans were certainly against bear-baiting (having a chained bear attacked by dogs) and the theater (noted for prostitution) but they had their own ideas of fun. Analysis of the ages of first births in Plymouth found a lot of first kids born six months into the marriage when it usually takes nine months to give birth.

[@Artur_M.]

@@Lawofimprobability Let's not forget Christmas! But I guess that people will always be people in the end.

[@petergray2712]

@@Lawofimprobability THG should talk about early American colonial sexual practices. Like "bundling" for example.

[@rnedlo9909]

The Saxon practice of not being able to marry a woman unless you could get he pregnant seemed to carry over well into "Christian" times. A man who grew up in a remote mountain community told a story of when he was 7 or 8yrs old. He said his cousin had a baby and he went with his mother who was assisting his cousin, her niece, in their home. He said he was just old enough to understand a little but not totally sure about the finer details. After the birth of the healthy baby the doctor was packing up his things to leave. The boy asked him in front of everyone, " Doctor, how long does it take for a woman to have a baby?" Everyone there, including the doctor, knew she had married six months earlier. The doctor looked around the room then replied, "Here's how it is son, the first one can come at anytime, any after that will always take nine months."

[@southilgurl2003]

'Cause it's time, it's time in time with your time And its news is captured For the queen to use! Move me on to any black square Use me anytime you want Just remember that the goal Is for us all to capture all we want (Move me on to any black square) Don't surround yourself with yourself Move on back two squares Send an instant karma to me Initial it with loving care (Don't surround yourself)

[@kennethpaquin8574]

Yes!

[@scorpion19142001]

What's that All about?

[@southilgurl2003]

@@scorpion19142001 It is a song by the prog rock band Yes. Yes, the same band that did Owner of a Lonely Heart in the '80s - which was a completely different sound btw.

[@scorpion19142001]

Thank you. Interesting to know. Thank you again. Cheers friend.

[@southilgurl2003]

@@scorpion19142001 more than happy to share the small tidbits of trivia locked inside my brain. I realized that I forgot to mention the song title: "I've Seen All Good People/Your Move/All Good People" off the album "The Yes Album". Yeah, it's a bit of a brain twister there.

[@JimFikes]

Another fascinating episode.

[@navret1707]

I had the perfect tactic when I’d play: insert index finger under corner of board and flip vigorously. When I taught programming I would use the rice story as a basic programming exercise in looping. It never ceased to amaze the students how big and how fast the numbers increased.

[@philiprhoades3139]

3-D chess could've gotten a brief mention...

[@nautifella]

Isn't that played on 20x20 board? Just askin

[@dimesonhiseyes9134]

@@nautifella it has a 3 tiered board. Best thing to do is just Google it it's far better than trying to explain it here.

[@RCAvhstape]

The Star Trek version?

[@dimesonhiseyes9134]

@@RCAvhstape that was the most famous but 3d chess actually dates to like the 1800's

[@kleinjahr]

Or fairy chess, which can be really odd.Probably simplest version is when the board is the surface of a cylinder.

[@mileskenne1212]

love the game.

[@michaelbauers8800]

Very well done, and I have read a lot of histories. One of my favorite things in the early history of European chess is a series of games ( probably fabricated) with Greco vs NN ( No Name.) They are nice lessons in tactics, and how NOT to play the early moves ( or opening) in chess. Greco's lived in roughly the 1600s, and the rules he played by seem very similar to the modern rules.

[@malcolmsanchez1611]

NEVER stop doing what you do! Your growing subscribers prove it.

[@jdinhuntsvilleal4514]

One Christmas, years ago, a young Taiwanese friend was excited to get an electronic version of the game, and really, really wanted me to play with him, so I did, even though the only thing I knew about the game was how the pieces moved. So, I made a move, he made a move, I made a move, he made a move, I made a move, and the game BEEPED. "What was that?" I asked him. Rather dejectedly he replied: "Checkmate." I had apparently stumbled into the one way a chess game can end in only 2 or 3 moves.

[@spikespa5208]

Hope you can remember the moves.

[@josephmorneau4339]

@@spikespa5208 Not really worth it. Anyone except a complete beginner won't get fooled by the "cheesy" strategies that make a checkmate in under five moves possible.

[@rogerscottcathey]

"Scholar's mate."

[@jdinhuntsvilleal4514]

@@rogerscottcathey Just watched a couple of video on that, and it isn't what I did. I don't really remember it well, but I do know I moved my Knight up early.

[@rogerscottcathey]

@@jdinhuntsvilleal4514 : Ah, well, maybe, if you were black, it was Fool's mate.

[@zach7193]

Interesting history.

[@noahcount7132]

Fascinating journey through the development and evolution of an enduring board game. Extremely pleased that the iconic Isle of Lewis Chessmen were shown, even though they weren't mentioned by name.

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

Thank you for another great video! I be been playing chess for almost 50 years and still haven’t mastered it. My father taught me to play when I was just a wee lad and it served me well all my life. I must have chosen the worst players in the world because I’ve only lost to two people in my entire life. One was my father and the other was a master from Hungary that I met at Chess Beach in Southern California I also enjoy backgammon, poker, Go, Mahjong, and a version of Mancala I learned in the Philippines I used all of these games to help me homeschool my sons. Maybe you could do videos about those games as well? Cheers mate

[@hardy3089]

Love chess but I’m literally the only person I know who knows how to play and my friends don’t care to learn. So I play online, but I feel I do better with an actual board I still suck either way though just love playing my pa taught me used to play with him all the time before he died.

[@joshuatift4640]

Me too I play online as well, and I’m saddened by the fact that I think it will hurt my long run game as well

[@jimistephen]

You should do an episode on the game Go.

[@romeojavien8227]

You forgot about the old arab move of the queen doing a horse. Tarakuta a matre .

[@patriciadean5320]

The most interesting story teller-thank you