#Chess is believed to have entered Europe at various points and places between 850-1050 A.D. The crossover happened where Muslim world mixed with Christian (especially Al-Andalus, Sicily, and Byzantium).
Several things changed when the game reached Europe. For the first time in Chess's long history, the board was checkered black and white. Initially Chess followed the rules as the Arabic #Shatranj, but the pieces changed: the Elephant became the Bishop; the Vizier or Counselor became the Queen. But the pieces kept the same rules, and it would be 500+ years that the "modern" rules with powerful queens and bishops, emerged in Valencia.
The name of the game has an interesting history, too. Westerners initially referred to Chess as "scac", which is derived from the Arabic and Persian word "shah". This word evolved into "scachi", and from there, "esacs" in Catalonian, "sacchi" in Italian, "échecs" in French, and so on. But in Spain and Portugal, which for centuries were part of the Caliphate of Cordoba, the name evolved from the arabic "al shatranj", through Castillian "acedrex", which became "ajedrez" in Spanish and "xadrez" in Portuguese.
All of this is from "A World of Chess" by Jean-Louis Cazau and Rick Knowlton. Great book. https://bookwyrm.social/book/1995213/s/a-world-of-chess-its-development-and-variations-through-centuries-and-civilizations
Several things changed when the game reached Europe. For the first time in Chess's long history, the board was checkered black and white. Initially Chess followed the rules as the Arabic #Shatranj, but the pieces changed: the Elephant became the Bishop; the Vizier or Counselor became the Queen. But the pieces kept the same rules, and it would be 500+ years that the "modern" rules with powerful queens and bishops, emerged in Valencia.
The name of the game has an interesting history, too. Westerners initially referred to Chess as "scac", which is derived from the Arabic and Persian word "shah". This word evolved into "scachi", and from there, "esacs" in Catalonian, "sacchi" in Italian, "échecs" in French, and so on. But in Spain and Portugal, which for centuries were part of the Caliphate of Cordoba, the name evolved from the arabic "al shatranj", through Castillian "acedrex", which became "ajedrez" in Spanish and "xadrez" in Portuguese.
All of this is from "A World of Chess" by Jean-Louis Cazau and Rick Knowlton. Great book. https://bookwyrm.social/book/1995213/s/a-world-of-chess-its-development-and-variations-through-centuries-and-civilizations
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