By Damian Walker 13

Home , King (chess), Pawn (chess)

The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #10: Shatranj SHATRANJ move. otherwise there is no way for either by Damian Walker 13. A game is drawn if both player to achieve victory. players have only their king, or if

FURTHER I NFORMATION Readers interested in learning more about shatranj would find the following books interesting: Bell, R. C. Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations , vol. 1, pp. 57-61. New York: Dover Publications, Inc, 1979. Murray, H. J. R. A History of Chess , pp. 186-338. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1913. Parlett, D. The Oxford History of Board Games , pp. 206-209. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Illustration 3: the moves of the jumping Board Games at C YNINGSTAN pieces. Traditional Board Game Series (Second Edition) 4 Leaflet #10 The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #10: Shatranj The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #10: Shatranj

5. A turn consists of moving which block its way; INTRODUCTION & H ISTORY one of the player's own pieces from (vi). the pawn moves one Shatranj is sometimes called Islam- It was around as-Suli's time one square to another, according to square forwards, unless it wishes to ic chess, or medieval chess. Those that shatranj entered Europe and be- that piece's abilities, removing (cap- capture, in which case it moves one tired of modern hustle and bustle came known as chess. Europeans turing) an enemy piece if it occu- square diagonally forwards. may want a change of pace from the experimented with the rules over pies the destination square. 7. If the king is threatened with relatively frantic modern chess, and the next five centuries, but the game 6. The abilities of the pieces, capture, he must move to a safe shatranj is one way to provide it. remained largely the same until the shown in Illustration 2 and Illustra- square, another piece must move to The game is close to the origin- modern chess quickly replaced it at tion 3, are as follows: protect him, or the aggressor must al chess invented in India, spreading the end of the 15th century. It las- (i). the king may move to any be captured. to the Persians in the 6th century ted until the 16th century in Islamic of the eight squares adjacent to him, 8. A king may never move into and to the Islamic world and the areas, and this older game, rather with some limitations explained be- a square that is threatened by an en- Byzantine court in the 7th. The best than the modern chess, is the basis low; emy piece. Neither may a piece medieval chess grand masters were for many regional variations around (ii). the vizier may move to any protecting the king move so as to from the Islamic world, such as as- the world, some of which are still of the four adjacent diagonal expose him to capture. Suli in the 10th century. played today. squares; 9. If a pawn reaches the far (iii). the elephant may move row, it immediately becomes a viz- HOW TO P LAY exactly two squares in a diagonal ier. direction, jumping over any piece Shatranj in the Islamic world was and the other black. that occupies the intervening Ending the Game more standardised than its European 3. Each player has sixteen square; counterpart, the Arabs being content pieces of his own colour: 1 king, 1 10. A player has won the game (iv). the horse to leave the rules vizier, 2 elephants, if he threatens to moves one square alone. It is these 2 horses, 2 chari- capture his oppon- horizontally or rules, then, that are ots and 8 pawns. ent's king, and the vertically, then reproduced here. At the start of the opponent can do one square diagon- game, they are laid nothing to prevent ally away from its Beginning the out on the board as this. starting point, Game in Illustration 1. 11. A player jumping over any also wins if, at the 1. Shatranj is Moving and pieces that occu- end of his oppon- played on a board Capturing Pieces pies the interven- ent's turn, he has of eight squares by ing square; two or more pieces eight, the squares 4. White ma- (v). the chari- left but the oppon- being of uniform kes the first turn, ot moves any dis- ent has only a colour. then black plays, tance horizontally king. 2. There are Illustration 1: the pieces set out to begin. turns alternating or vertically, but Illustration 2: moves of the non-jumping 12. A player From the bottom left they are the chariot, pieces. The chariot is blocked by the vizier, two players, one thereafter until the may not jump over wins if his oppon- known as white horse, elephant, vizier and king, with the game is over. and the pawn moves diagonally only when pawns in front. intervening pieces, capturing. ent has no legal

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