H. J. R. Murray
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Harold James Ruthven Murray was a British educationalist, inspector of schools, and prominent chess historian. His book, A History of Chess, is widely regarded as the most authoritative and comprehens
Murray in 1907
History of chess
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The history of chess can be traced back nearly 1,500 years to its earliest known predecessor, called chaturanga, in India; its prehistory is the subject of speculation. From India it spread to Persia,
H. J. R. Murray
…In 1913 he published A History of Chess, proposing the theory that chess originated in India. This remains the most widely accepted theory. (See Origins of chess.) Although A History of Chess was recognised as the standard reference on the subject, its scholarly approach and great length (900 pages) made it…
The 12th-century Lewis chessmen in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland
An illustration from a Persian manuscript "A treatise on chess". The Ambassadors from India present the Chatrang to Khosrow I Anushirwan, "Immortal Soul", King of Persia.
Krishna and Radha playing chaturanga on an 8×8 ashtāpada
These seven ivory chess pieces are the oldest known, dating to about 700 CE. The ivory came from India. They were excavated in 1977 by archaeologist Yuriy Buryakov, at Afrasiyab in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. They are housed today at the Samarkand State Museum. Photographed during a loan of the pieces to the Silk Roads Exhibition at the British Museum.