The traditions of chess are numerous and conflicting, Zakaria
Yahya a writer of the tenth century in "The Delight of the
Intelligent in Description of Chess" referring to stories extant
and fables respecting its invention to that time remarks, "It
is said to have been played by Aristotle, by Yafet Ibn Nuh
(Japhet son of Noah) by Sam ben Nuh (Shem) by Solomon for the
loss of his son, and even by Adam when he grieved for Abel.
Aben Ezra, the famous Rabbi, interpreter, and expounder of
scripture, and who is said to have excelled in every branch of
knowledge, attributed the invention of chess to Moses. His
celebrated poem on chess, written about 1130 A.D., has been
translated into nearly all languages of the civilized globe,
into English by Dr. Thomas Hyde, Oxford, 1694.
The unknown Persian, author of the imperfect M.S. presented
by Major Price the eminent Orientalist, to the Asiatic Society,
and upon which N. Bland, Esq., mainly bases his admirable
treatise on Persian Chess, 1850, says--"Hermes, a Grecian
sage, invented chess, and that it was abridged and sent to
Persia in the sixth century of our era."
The famous Shahnama, by Firdausi, called the Homer of
Persia, and other Eastern manuscripts as well as the M.S. of the
Asiatic Society, give less ancient traditions of the adaption of
chess relating to the time of Alexander the Great and Indian
Kings, Fur, Poris, and Kaid; in one of these the reward of a grain
of corn doubled sixty-four times was stipulated for by the
philosopher, and the seeming insignificance of the demand
astonished and displeased the King, who wished to make a
substantial recognition worthy of his own greatness and power,
and it occasioned sneers and ridicule on the part of the King's
treasurer and accountant at Sassa's supposed lack of wisdom and
judgment. However, astonishment and chagrin succeeded before
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.
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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.
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