Chess History And Reminiscences
they were half way through their computation, for when the total
was arrived at, it was found to exceed all the wealth of the
world, and the King knew not which to admire most, the
ingenuity of the game itself, or that of the minister's demand.
The earliest European work on chess is supposed to be that of
Jacobus de Cessolus, a monk of Picardy, which appeared (it is
said) in 1290 (scheilt swischen 1250-1275 Linde 1-10). His
favourite names are Evil Merodach, King of Babylon and a
philosopher named Xerxes, Massman, 1830, gives Ammelin,
Amilin, Amilon and Selenus, Ibl, Xerxes whose Greek name was
Philometer to whom 597 B.C. has been assigned.
Palamedes and Diomedes of Trojan celebrity, the Lydians of
Herodotus, the Thoth of Plato, the Hermes of the Asiatic Society's
philosopher; in fact nearly every one of the Gods who has in turn
served as the Great Mythological Divinity has been credited with
the discovery of chess.
NOTE. There are few parts of learning so involved in obscurity, as
the history of Pagan idolatry. It may, perhaps, be some
satisfaction to us to think that the ancients themselves knew
even less of the matter than we do; but if so, it furnishes a
strong argument for the necessity of being very cautious in
drawing our conclusions. We believe it may safely be said, that
there is not one among all the fabled deities of antiquity, whom
(if the writers of antiquity may be trusted) it is not possible
to identify with every other--Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, Pan,
Hercules, Priapus, Bacchus, Bel, Moloch, Chemosh, Taut, Thoth,
Osiris, Buddha, Vishnou, Siva, all and each of these may be shown
to be one and the same person. And whether we suppose this person
to have been the Sun, or to have been Adam, or Seth, or Enoch,
or Noah, or Shem, or Ham, or Japhet, the conclusion will be still
the same, each of them, it may be shewn was worshipped as the Sun,
and all of them, wherever their worship was established, were
severally considered as the Great Mythological Divinity.
So far, It would not appear that there is any room for much
difference of opinion, at least, not if ancient authorities may
be depended on.
------
Dr. Salvic states on the strength of one of his authorities, and
Alexandre apparently quite seriously has repeated the statement
that the text in Samuel of Abner and Joab's twelve chosen
champions "Let the young men now arise and play before us"
may be applicable to chess, but the context of the chapter is
opposed to any such conclusion. All the foregoing fabulous
accounts may be at least declared "not proven" if not utterly
unworthy even of the verdict pronounced in those two words.
There are three more modern traditions or accounts, the first of
which is referred to Alexander the Great's time 336 to 322 B.C.,
and the two others to about the time of Chosroes--900 years later.
Forbes devotes thirteen pages to them and they are given with
less detail by the Rev. R. Lambe in 1764 and N. Bland in 1850.
------
THE THREE INDIAN TRADITIONS
In this, the first Indian tradition referred to the time of
Alexander the Great, it is related in the Shahnama that a very
powerful King of India named Kaid, satiated with war, and having
no enemies without, or rebellious subjects within his kingdom,
thus addressed his minister Sassa.
"Day and night my mind is harassed with the thoughts of war
and strife; when in the hours of the night sleep overpowers me, I
dream of nothing but battlefields and conquests, and in the
morning, when I awake, I still think over my imaginary combats and
victories. Now you are well aware that I have no longer one
single enemy or rebel in my whole dominions with whom to
contend. It is utterly repugnant to justice and common sense,
to go to war without any cause. If I were to do so God would be
displeased with me, and a severe retribution for my evil deeds
would soon overtake me, even in this world, for is it not said
that a kingdom governed by falsehood and oppression is void of
stability, and it will soon pass away. Tell me, then, O Sassa,
for great is thy wisdom, what am I to do in order to regain my
peace of mind, and obtain relief from my present state of
weariness and disgust?"
Sassa hereupon bethought himself of a rare game, the invention
of an ancient Grecian sage, by name Hermes, which had recently
been introduced into India by Alexander and his soldiers, who
used to play it at times of leisure. Sassa procured and modified
the game and board from 56 pieces and 112 squares to 32 pieces
and 64 squares, and explained it to the king, who practised it with
both satisfaction and delight, Sassa's stipulation of a reward of
a grain of corn doubled again and again 64 times, which was at
first deemed ridiculous, was found to amount to
18,446,744,073,709,551,615 rating the barley corn at two
shillings the bushel, the value required from the Indian king by
the philosopher was 3,385,966,239,667 pounds and 12s an
unexpected and amazing sum.
The second version is of another highly ambitious and successful
king of Hind, name Fur, who died and left a young son,
inexperienced in war and in danger of losing his possessions. The
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