What Country Gave Us Chess?
There are many theories and conjectures regarding where and when chess was invented.
Unfortunately, chess (as it is currently known in its modern form) probably had very little resemblance to these emerging forms of the game, and in that regard, some may argue that these games have no right to be called forebears of chess at all.
The truth is that the origins of chess are shrouded in mystery, and it is highly likely that a
definitive answer will never be reached.
To date, the most concrete evidence we have comes from a number of Persian and Arabic manuscripts dated around the end of the 10th century A.D., although even the dating of these is subject to disagreement, with some commentators suggesting dates as early as the 7th century A.D.
From 1600-1850, before the discovery of these manuscripts, it was believed that chess originated from Persia. However, most of the Arabic manuscripts claim that chess arrived from India (via Persia), and the accepted modern notion is that the true origin of chess is India.
For further reading, Harold Murray's "History of Chess" (1913) still remains the foremost authority on this subject, even after almost 100 years.
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Early Versions Of The Game
The game known as Chaturanga, played in India in around the 7th century A.D. is believed to be the oldest known form of chess. However, the game suffered from several shortcomings that were not remedied until chess became more widespread throughout Europe in the late 15th century.
The pawns were originally restricted to advancing a single square on their first move, making them slow to come into contact with enemy pieces.
The bishop was restricted to 2 square "jumps" (although it was unaffected by intervening pieces), and the queen to only a single square at a time.
The lack of mobility of the attacking forces was solved in the Western game by first extending the bishop's movement, and then, in the renaissance, the unleashing of the modern queen.
The Sanskrit name Chaturanga translates into "quadripartite" (divided into four parts) and was also used to describe the Indian army of Vedic times in which a platoon had four parts: one elephant, one chariot, three soldiers on horseback, and five foot-soldiers. The board was known as the "ashtapada" (eight-square) and is believed to have been adopted from an older race game related to parcheesi. 
The pieces were known as: raja (king), mantri (counsellor, ancestor of the ferz), gaja (elephant, later called fil), asva (horse), ratha (chariot, later called rook), and pedati (infantry or pawns).
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Chess Comes To Europe
Around the early 8th century, armies of Arabs (known as Moors) invaded Persia. It is believed that the Moors learned the game of chess from the Persians, and when the Moors later invaded Spain, the soldiers brought the game with them.
The Spanish were soon also playing chess, and from there, it quickly (in historical terms) spread throughout all of Europe.
The names of the pieces as we know them today come from the Europeans, probably because they found the original Persian names difficult to pronounce.
Within European Aristocracy, the concept behind chess became a royal court rather than a battlefield.
The horse was rechristened as a knight, which had its place in the royal court.
The bishop represented the church, a rich and mighty force in medieval times.
The queen, the only piece to represent a woman in the game of chess held a powerful yet precarious position. The king was often guided by her advice, and it is noted in history that queens often held more power than the king did.
The king represented the piece that all the others would sacrifice themselves to defend, since in medieval times, surrender of the king would mean loss of the kingdom to invading armies.
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