CHESS, an ingenious and very ancient game of skill, played on a board divided into squares or houses, gene rally 64 in number, with a variety of men or pieces dif fering from each other in form and in name.
It is generally played in Europe with 16 pieces of a side, painted or stained for distinction's sake, of two different colours, as white and black. Of these 16 pieces, eight are dignified, viz. a king, a queen, two bishops, two knights, and two rooks; and there arc eight of lower dignity and equal rank, called pawns. They are placed opposite to each other in two lines, at the edges of the board of 64 chequers, in the following order. The white king is to be placed on the fourth black house or square from the corner, on the first or lower line ; and the black king opposite to him on the fourth white house, at the adversary's side of the board. The queens are to be placed next the kings, on houses of their own colour. Next to the king and queen, on each hand, the bishops are to be placed ; next to them the two knights ; and last of all, at the corners of the board, the two rooks. The pawns are to be placed, without distinction, on the second line, or rank, one before each of the dignified pieces.
Tice moves of the pieces are as follows: The pawns move straight forwards in their own files, one house at a time ; but when first played, may be carried forward two houses at a time, if the player chooses. They never move backwards, sidewise, or diagonally, unless in taking an enemy's piece, which is done one diagonal move in advance, the pawn occupying the house of captured piece—a rule which applies to every case of capture. The rook moves straight forwards, backwards, and sidewise, or by rank or file at pleasure, the whole com pass of the board. The bishop moves diagonally, al ways keeping the same colour, over the whole board, forwards or backwards. The queen combines the moves of the rook and bishop, wnich renders her a very im portant piece. .The king does the same, only he is cir cumscribed to passing over one house at a time. Tne motion of the knight is the most irregular, being a kind of vault over the adjacent square into that which is next to it sidewise, and of a diff rent colour. The range, therefore, of his move is limited, but it may be either forwards, backwards, or sidewise. The game is not won, in consequence of having taken the pieces of the adversary, but by placing- his king in such a situation that he is exposed to be taken, or is in check, and cannot move into any other situation without being also in check, or exposed to be taken, which is called check mate.
Such is the mode of playing the game in Europe ; but in the East, where it is in very great vogue, it is of ten found in a different form. Frequently toe queen has the move of the knight, as well as of the rook and bi shop ; and sometimes there are additional pieces used, by which the game is rendered much more complica ted.
Sir William Jones, in the second volume of the Asia tic Researches, describes a very complicated kind of chess, from one of the Sanscrit books called Puranas, which has the name of Chaturaji, or the game of four kings: being played by four persons, representing as many princes, two allied armies combating on each side. It is thus described in the Bhanrishya Puran, the book alluded to. " Eight squares being marked on all sides, the red army is to be placed to the east, the green to the south, the yellow to the west, and the black to the north. Let the elephant (says the Puran) stand on the left of the king, next to him the horse, then the boat, and be fore them all four foot soldiers ; but the boat must be placed in thc angle of the board." Particular rules are subjoined for the conduct of the game ; and some of the moves are directed by throwing the dice, in which it dif fers materially from chess, as most commonly played. We refer to the Asiatic Researches for what the presi dent has said farther concerning this curious game ; sub joining only the following remark : " A ship or boat is absurdly substituted, we see, in this complex game for the rat'h, or armed chariot, which the Bengalese pro nounced rot'h, and which the Persians changed into rokh ; whence came the rook of some European nations; as the vierge and fol of the French are supposed to be corruptions of fcrze and fii, the prime minister and ele phant of the Persians and Arabs." In a letter from Eyles Irwin, Esq. to the Earl of Charlernont, in 1793, published in the fifth volume of the Irish Transactions, there is an interesting account of the Chinese mode of playing the game of chess. " A young mandarine," says Air Irwin, " of the profession of arms, having an inquisitive turn, was my frequent vi sitor ; and what no questions could have drawn from him, the accidental sight of an English chess-board ef fected. He told me that the Chinese had a game of the same nature ; and on his specifying a difference in the pieces and board, I perceived, with joy, that I had dis covered the desideratum of which I had been so long in search. The very next day my mandarin brought me
the board and equipage ; and 1 found that the Bramins were neither mistaken touching the board, which has a river in the middle to divide the contending parties, nor in the powers of the king, who is intrenched in a fort, and moves only in that space, in every direction. But what I did not before hear, nor do I believe is known out country, there are two pieces, whose move ments arc distinct from any in the Indian or European game. The mandarin, which answers to our bishop, in his station and sidelong course, cannot, through age, cross the river ; and a rocket-boy, still used in the In dian armies, who is stationed between the lines of each party, acts literally with the motion of the rocket, by vaulting over a man, and taking his adversary at the other end of the board. Except that the king has his two sons to support him, instead of a queen, the game-, in other respects, is like ours, as will appear in the plan of the board and pieces I have the honour to enclose, tog-ether with directions to place the men and play the game." The Chinese call this game Chong- lie, or the royal game ; and the following is the mode of playing it, ac cording to Air Irwin : " As there are nine pieces, instead of eight, to occupy the rear rank, they stand on the lines between, and not within the squares. The game is con sequently played on thc lines. The king, or Gong, stands in the middle line of this row. His moves resem ble those of our king, but are confined to the fortress marked out for him. The two princes, or sons, stand on each side of hint, and have equal powers and limits. The mandarins, or tichong, answer to our bishops, and have the same moves, except that they cannot cross the water, or white space in the middle of the board, to an noy the enemy, but stand on the defensive. The knights, or rather horses, called maa, stand and move like ours in every respect. The war-chariots, or tche, resembled our rooks or castles, The rocket-boys, or arc pieces whose motions and powers were unknown to us. They act with the direction of a rocket, and can take none of their adversary's men that have not a piece or pawn in tervening. To defend your men from this attack, it is necessary to open the line between, either to take off the check or the king, or to save a man from being captured by the pa6. Their operation is otherwise like that of the rook. Their stations are marked between the pieces and pawns. The five pawns, or ping, make up the number of the men equal to that of our board. Instead of taking like ours, they have the rook's motion, except that it is limited to one step, and is not retrogade. Another im portant point in which the ping differs from ours, is, that they continue in statu quo, after reaching their adversa ry's head quarters. It will appear, however, that the Chinese pieces far exceed the proportion of ours, which occasions the whole force of the contest to fall on ahem, and thereby precludes the beauty and variety of our game, when reduced to a struggle between the pawns, who arc capable of the highest promotion, and often change the fortune of the day. The posts of the ning arc marked in front." llr Twiss mentions a small treatise on chess, written, as he supposes, about 400 years ago, at the end of which is a representation of a round chess-board, with direc tions for placing the men upon it. The board is divided into 64 compartments by four concentric circles, each divided into 16 parts, an empty space being left in the middle. Number 1 is marked or placed in the outer most circle ; number 2 in the third circle, counting in wards in the division to the right hand of the former ; number 3 is placed in the outermost circle, in the divi sion to the right hand of 2 ; 4 in the third circle, count ing inwards to the right hand of 3 ; and others alternate ly from the first to the third, and from the third to the first circle, till the round is completed by 16 on the third circle to the left hand of 1. Number 17 is then placed on the division of the innermost circle to the right hand of 1 ; 18 on the second circle, counting inwards to the right hand of 17 ; and thus alternately from the fourth to the second, and fi om the second to the fourth circles, until the round is completed by 32 directly below num ber 1. Number 33 is then placed on the third circle, directly to the right hand of number 2 ; 34 on the fourth circle, directly below number 33. The numbers are now placed in a retrograde fashion ; 50 on the outer circle, in that division immediately to the right hand of 1 ; 51 on the third circle, to the left hand of 2, and directly below 32 ; 52 is then placed on the outer circle, imme diately on the left hand of 16; and thus alternately on the first and third circles, until the last ground is com plet•d by 64 between the numbers 3 and 5.