THE GAME OF CHESS 671
It is very evident that it was the composition and tactics of the ancient Hindu armies that originally suggested the game. The Hindus, in fact, called it chatur-angam. Though with some few small variations we have adopted their
method of playing, it must be admitted that the innovations which we have introduced in the shapes and names of the
pieces are certainly not happy. What can be more ridiculous than the castles which move about from place to place, the queen who rushes about righting with the king ' s people, or the bishops who occupy such an exalted position?
As with us, the most important piece on the Hindu chessboard is the king K The second piece, which we call the queen 2, they term the mantri, a title which signifies a
minister of state, who is also commander-in-chief of the army. Chariots 3 occupy the place of our bishops. Like us, the Hindus have knights, but instead of our battlemented castles they have elephants 4. The pawns or foot-soldiers are, as with us, the simple rankand file of which the army is composed. The chess-board is called by the Hindus the por-sthalam, or field of battle.
But to return to the ancient Hindu armies. In the first line came the elephants. It is certain that these animals
carried castles or howdahs on their backs, containing several men armed with javelins. But I think it would be wronglearn it. Sissa while teaching him the rules, made him realize some important truths which up to that time he had failed to grasp, and the monarch wishing to show his gratitude to the Brahmin asked him what he would like as a reward. Sissa replied that he would be satisfied
with as much rice as could be placed on the sixty-four squares of the chess-board by putting one grain on the first, two on the second, four on the third, and so on, the number on each square always doubling.
The king cheerfully agreed to such an apparently modest demand. But
the treasurers soon convinced their master that he had pledged himself to an act of munificence which, in spite of all his treasure and vast
estates, he would be quite unable to fulfil. Sissa at once seized the opportunity of pointing out to the monarch how easy it was to abuse the best intentions of a sovereign if he were not perpetually on his guard against those who surrounded him. Dubois.
1
The Arab and Persian name for chess is ' the king ' s game.' Dubois.
2
In Low Latin this piece was called fercia, from the Persian fers, which means minister of state, vizir.— Dubois.
3
In many Eastern countries these are elephants. Dubois.
4
Amongst other Asiatic nations these are camels ridden by a man with a bow and arrow in his hand. Dubois.