Chess is one the most complex things that man has ever made. It is said that the number of combination of moves possible in chess far outnumber the number of stars in the universe. It may be an easy game to learn but it is hardly arguable that it is a game that only gifted people with years of practice can master. With the game’s complexity, one would really wonder who invented chess since it is very much apparent that it is a cut miles above other board games and past times that appeared across the history of man.

To answer who invented chess, one must travel through its history to know its development.
The earliest form of chess appeared in India in the sixth century B.C. It is why one could consider the Indians to be the people who invented chess since its history started in India. This does not mean that this early form of chess was near to the one we play today however. In fact, one can see that it is nowhere near close just by learning that the earliest form of chess is played by four players. This early form however, introduced the different pieces that correspond to different ranks which makes it a clear ancestor of the modern chess.

From India, the said prototype of chess reached Persia, which is modern-day Iran. It is where the chess terms check and checkmate originated from as the Persians greatly modified the game, making it closer to what we are playing today. The Persians may not be candidates for being the people who invented chess but nevertheless, they contributed greatly to its development by modifying the game and by being a transit point through which chess reached Europe.

By the thirteenth century, chess has gained a firm foothold in the European continent and became really popular. It is also in this time that modern chess was born since the rules that we know today, such as the capability of the pawn to be promoted once reaching the furthest square and the queen being the most powerful piece, were put into place in Spain and Italy. Hence, one can say that the Italians and Spaniards are the one who invented chess – particularly its modern form.

Regardless which people one regards to be the people who invented chess, it is important to remember that all of them contributed greatly into making chess the enormously complex and enjoyable game that it is today.