The History of Chess Author:Duncan Forbes Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER V. CHATURANGA CONCLUDED. Gradual change into the Shatranj, or Mediaeval Game. I Would now beg leave to hazard a few conjectures respecting the m... more »ode in which the ancient Chaturanga became gradually changed into the Shatranj, or mediaeval game. We have seen that, in playing the former, it was an object of importance with each of the four players to gain possession of his ally's throne—a step which thenceforth secured to him the undivided command of the allied forces. It must, therefore, have often happened, that, after some twenty or thirty moves, the contest remained to be concluded between two players only; and this circumstance of itself was sufficient to have given rise to the mediaeval game. But this is not all; it is evident the Chaturanga might have been, and frequently was, played by only one person on each side, and that, too, from beginning to end. Of this fact we have a noted instance in the case of Yudhishthira (as stated in Chapter II.,) who lost the whole of his possessions in a premature encounter with Shakuni at this very game. Nay, further, it is extremely probable—for reasons immediately to be assigned—that the game of Chaturanga was generally played by either four or two persons, without admitting the use of the dice at all, except merely for the purpose of determiningwhich party should have the first move. If we examine into the principles of the game, and, so far as we have the means, into its practical working, we shall find that the dice do not in any way constitute an essential element. On the contrary, it is evident that, after having determined who is to have the first move, the dice may be wholly laid aside, and the struggle becomes a mere matter of wary tactics and strategic skill. Now we have excellent reasons for believing that at a ...« less