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Where did the Word "Chess" Come From?

You have 2 different origin stories for "Chess" and "Check", but both words come from the exact same place.

"Check" in french, is "échec", which is short for "échec au roi", which means "check of the king".

"Chess" in french, is "échecs", which is short for "le jeu d'échecs", which means "the game of checks".

"échecs" is just the plural of "échec". In french the final "s" is silent, but not the "c". Somehow, the before last "c" was lost, and that's how "checks" became "chess".

Wiktionary has other details, and shows that both "Check" and "Chess" have the same origin.

You have 2 different origin stories for "Chess" and "Check", but both words come from the exact same place. "Check" in french, is "échec", which is short for "échec au roi", which means "check of the king". "Chess" in french, is "échecs", which is short for "le jeu d'échecs", which means "the game of checks". "échecs" is just the plural of "échec". In french the final "s" is silent, but not the "c". Somehow, the before last "c" was lost, and that's how "checks" became "chess". Wiktionary has other details, and shows that both "Check" and "Chess" have the same origin.

[“Out of 15 books of the Arthashastra, 8 deal with the preparation for a war and fighting it. The more you plan during peacetime, the less you bleed during wartime. Planning is more important than execution; in fact, better planning helps in effective execution.

In those days, there was a particular formation of the army, similar to the game of chess. It was called Chaturanga. Chatur is four and anga is parts. Therefore, it means four parts of an army.”

“The men of an army went to war in four ways – on foot, called infantry; riding horses; driven in chariots; and mounted on elephants.

Each person in the formation showed his power and rank, based on the mode of transport he employed while marching onto the battlefield.

Chanakya, therefore, wanted his students to prepare for war before it was to actually happen. You see, this was how the world’s first war game, Chaturanga, was born. Two friends could sit and play the game even within the comforts of a palace. It helped them come up with innovative methods for fighting a war.”

“Over time, the game of Chaturanga went through many changes. Even in war, there were alterations, such as the use of other animals, like the camels in desert areas. Camels are employed by our army even today in states like Rajasthan and Gujarat, as these animals know the region well and so, are very useful.

As the game became popular, traders who came to India took it to other countries. When they played the game in the Arab world, camels became an essential element of war; that is why we find camels included in chess today. When it went to European nations, more modifications were made to the game. To this day, however, the fundamentals of chess lie in the Arthashastra.”

“Do you know that chess is actually an abbreviation, a short form of a number of words? Can you guess what the full form is?

C - Chariots

H - Horses

E - Elephants

S - Soldier(s)

And so, Chaturanga became C-H-E-S-(S).”]

From the book : https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/908762768

[“Out of 15 books of the Arthashastra, 8 deal with the preparation for a war and fighting it. The more you plan during peacetime, the less you bleed during wartime. Planning is more important than execution; in fact, better planning helps in effective execution. In those days, there was a particular formation of the army, similar to the game of chess. It was called Chaturanga. Chatur is four and anga is parts. Therefore, it means four parts of an army.” “The men of an army went to war in four ways – on foot, called infantry; riding horses; driven in chariots; and mounted on elephants. Each person in the formation showed his power and rank, based on the mode of transport he employed while marching onto the battlefield. Chanakya, therefore, wanted his students to prepare for war before it was to actually happen. You see, this was how the world’s first war game, Chaturanga, was born. Two friends could sit and play the game even within the comforts of a palace. It helped them come up with innovative methods for fighting a war.” “Over time, the game of Chaturanga went through many changes. Even in war, there were alterations, such as the use of other animals, like the camels in desert areas. Camels are employed by our army even today in states like Rajasthan and Gujarat, as these animals know the region well and so, are very useful. As the game became popular, traders who came to India took it to other countries. When they played the game in the Arab world, camels became an essential element of war; that is why we find camels included in chess today. When it went to European nations, more modifications were made to the game. To this day, however, the fundamentals of chess lie in the Arthashastra.” “Do you know that chess is actually an abbreviation, a short form of a number of words? Can you guess what the full form is? C - Chariots H - Horses E - Elephants S - Soldier(s) And so, Chaturanga became C-H-E-S-(S).”] From the book : https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/908762768

@The-Humanoid
Interesting info, thanks for sharing!
I am not sure how to reconcile this info with the "shah" and "shah mat" information, but it is quite possible that you are completely correct, or that both are true.

@The-Humanoid Interesting info, thanks for sharing! I am not sure how to reconcile this info with the "shah" and "shah mat" information, but it is quite possible that you are completely correct, or that both are true.

@shuvashish76
That is FASCINATING, thanks for sharing!

@shuvashish76 That is FASCINATING, thanks for sharing!