The ancestor of chess
, chaturanga ("game of four kings"), was played on 8 × 8 = 64 squares, between four opponents who each played for themselves and had a boat, a horse, an elephant, a king and four pawns. Each player took turns to play, with the roll of the dice indicating the piece to be moved and the choice of square left to the player's discretion.

A few years later, the dice (and therefore the use of chance) were removed, the players were paired up and placed their pieces side by side, and finally the direction of each game was entrusted to a single player.

Thus constituted, the game of chess will spread in three directions: in China, then in Korea and finally in Japan, where it will give birth to slightly different games; much later (13th century? ) to Russia (either through the Mongols or the Tartars, or through the Byzantine Empire), from where it will go back to Scandinavia, Germany and Scotland; and finally to Iran, where it will be brought by merchants and will take the name of shatranj: it will be adopted by the Arabs, who, after having conquered Iran, will spread the game of chess on the north coast of Africa and will introduce it in Spain.

The game then spread throughout Christendom, and Arab manuscripts were followed by European ones.