History and schools

An ancient Indian strategy game regarded as one of the principal historical ancestors of chess.

A historical Indian four-player game related to chess and known through incomplete or varying descriptions of its rules.

A medieval Persian and Islamic form of chess with a similar board and setup but several different piece powers and rules.

A historical piece that leaped exactly two squares diagonally and differed sharply from the modern bishop.

A historical counselor piece that moved one square diagonally and became an ancestor of the modern queen.

A historical composed position asking the solver to prove a win, draw, or another result under old rules.

A family of medieval rules allowing an exceptional early king move before castling became standardized.

A historical name for the European reform that gave the queen its modern mobility and greatly accelerated play.

An eighteenth-century theoretical current favoring rapid development, open lines, and direct attacks on the king.

A historical label for nineteenth-century chess emphasizing rapid development, initiative, king attacks, gambits, and spectacular sacrifices.

A strategic tradition associated with Steinitz that emphasized evaluating the position, accumulating durable advantages, and attacking when justified.

An early twentieth-century school that showed the center can be controlled from a distance and an overextended pawn center can become a target.

A twentieth-century Soviet training tradition known for systematic study, deep analysis, opening preparation, and organized competitive development.

A Paris café that served for generations as one of the leading public centers of European chess.

A famous eighteenth-century exhibition machine that seemed to play chess alone but concealed a human operator.