History of Chess (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Origins, Manuscripts, and Cultural Transmission from Chaturanga to Medieval European PlayBy H. J. R. Murray
Length48h 2m
About this audiobook
H. J. R. Murray's History of Chess is the foundational modern study of the game's origins, transmission, and transformation from Indian chaturanga through Persian and Arabic traditions into medieval and Renaissance Europe. Written with philological rigor and antiquarian breadth, the book combines manuscript evidence, linguistic analysis, problem literature, and comparative rules to reconstruct chess not merely as a pastime but as a cultural artifact. Its style is exacting, patient, and encyclopedic, placing it firmly within the great historical scholarship of the early twentieth century. Murray, an English historian, educator, and gifted linguist, brought to chess history an uncommon command of languages, archival sources, and mathematical precision. His professional life in education and his wide humanistic learning shaped a work that resists anecdote in favor of documentation. The result reflects both the Victorian-Edwardian faith in comprehensive scholarship and Murray's personal fascination with how games preserve traces of intellectual exchange across civilizations. This book is indispensable for serious chess players, historians of culture, and readers interested in the migration of ideas. Though demanding, it rewards attention with unmatched depth and remains a landmark reference for understanding chess's global past.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.4 (389)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing
GenreOther
Length48 hrs 2 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMar 1, 2021
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1History of Chess (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Preface
Show all chaptersShow less
6Note on the Transliteration of Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic Words
7Explanation of the Chess Notation Used in this Work
8Contractions
9Books and Articles Consulted for the History of Chess
10Part I. Chess in Asia
11Chapter I. Introductory
12Chapter II. Chess in India. I
13Chapter III. Chess in India. II
14Chapter IV. Chess in India. III
15Chapter V. Chess in the Malay Lands
16Chapter VI. Chess in Further India
17Chapter VII. Chess in China, Corea, and Japan
18Chapter VIII. Chess in Persia Under the Sāsānians
19Chapter IX. Chess in the Eastern Empire
20Chapter X. The Arabic and Persian Literature of Chess
21Chapter XI. Chess Under Islam
22Chapter XII. The Invention of Chess in Muslim Legend.
23Chapter XIII. The Game of Shaṭranj: Its Theory and Practice. I
24Chapter XIV. The Game of Shaṭranj: Its Theory and Practice. II
25Chapter XV. The Game of Shaṭranj: Its Theory and Practice. III (pt. 1)
26Chapter XV. The Game of Shaṭranj: Its Theory and Practice. III (pt. 2)
27Chapter XVI. Games Derived from Muslim and Indian Chess
28Chapter XVII. The Modern Games of Islam
29Chapter XVIII. Chess in Central and Northern Asia, and in Russia
30Part II. Chess in Europe
31Chapter I. Chess in Western Christendom: Its Origin and Beginnings
32Chapter II. Chess in the Middle Ages
33Chapter III. The Mediaeval Game
34Chapter IV. The Early Didactic Literature.
35Chapter V. The Moralities
36Chapter VI. The Mediaeval Problem. I (pt. 1)
37Chapter VI. The Mediaeval Problem. I (pt. 2)
38Chapter VII. The Mediaeval Problem. II (pt. 1)
39Chapter VII. The Mediaeval Problem. II (pt. 2)
40Chapter VIII. The Mediaeval Problem. III
41Chapter IX. Chess in Mediaeval Literature
42Chapter X. Chessboards and Chessmen
43Chapter XI. The Beginnings of Modern Chess
44Chapter XII. From Lopez to Greco
45Chapter XIII. From Greco to Stamma
46Chapter XIV. Philidor and the Modenese Masters
47Chapter XV. The Nineteenth Century
48Note on the Transliteration of Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic Words (pt. 1)
49Note on the Transliteration of Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic Words (pt. 2)
50Note on the Transliteration of Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic Words (pt. 3)
More from H. J. R. Murray
The Holy Bible - 1 SamuelKing James2h 13m4.8 (1.6K)$3 · $0.00
The American Standard Bible — The Gospel of MatthewMatthew3h 56m4.7 (3K)$2 · $0.00
Bad Fat Black GirlSesali Bowen6h 32m4.7 (2.8K)$24 · $0.00
The King James Audio Bible New Testament CompleteChristopher Glyn20h 2m4.7 (2.6K)$12 · $0.00
Faiths CheckbookCharles Spurgeon12h 44m4.7 (3.2K)$11 · $0.00
Ten Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child's Mental HealthDr. Billy Garvey4h 53m4.7 (2.4K)$20 · $0.00
The Book of PsalmsUnknown Author5h 9m4.6 (18K)$10
Designing Terry Pratchett’s DiscworldPaul Kidby3h 52m4.7 (343)$20 · $0.00
The Chosen Book OneAmanda Jenkins, Kristen Hendricks, Dallas Jenkins3h 8m4.6 (4.9K)$10 · $0.00
The Lives of BrianBrian Johnson9h 45m4.6 (3.5K)$29 · $0.00
Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of LukeJ.C. Ryle27h 13m4.7 (536)$18 · $0.00
CrossroadsKaleb Dahlgren7h 56m4.6 (4.9K)$26 · $0.00
Across the RiverKent Babb11h 40m4.6 (927)$29 · $0.00
Brain Training for RidersAndrea Monsarrat Waldo5h 56m4.7 (550)$19 · $0.00
My Effin' LifeGeddy Lee17h 11m4.6 (13.1K)$40 · $0.00
Kings and PawnsHoward Bryant10h 9m4.6 (678)$29 · $0.00
The Elementia Chronicles #2: The New OrderSean Fay Wolfe11h 17m4.6 (841)$29 · $0.00
The ActsLuke2h 55m4.6 (19.7K)$12 · $0.00
Woodcraft and Camping (Annotated)George Washington Sears3h 30m4.6 (1.2K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Hate U GiveAngie Thomas11h 50m4.5 (1.1M)$8 · $0.00
You may also like
An Account of EgyptHerodotus3h 44m4.0 (1.1K)Free
The Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb (Illustrated Edition)Howard Carter, Arthur Cruttenden Mace6h 46m4.3 (2K)$2 · $0.00
In The Footsteps Of RamaVikrant Pande, Neelesh Kulkarni9h 45m4.3 (778)$16 · $0.00
The Discovery of Tutankhamun's TombHoward Carter, Arthur Cruttenden Mace6h 49m4.3 (1.1K)$1 · $0.00
Mazes and Labyrinths (Annotated)W. H. Matthews6h 29m$2 · $0.00
The Invention of PrintingTheodore Low De Vinne22h 30m$2 · $0.00
Jerusalem ExploredErmete Pierotti22h 10m$2 · $0.00
Rude Stone Monuments in All Countries: Their Age and UsesJames Fergusson19h 12m$1 · $0.00
Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in EgyptG. Maspero8h 39m3.9 (67)$1 · $0.00
Troy and Its RemainsHeinrich Schliemann12h 22m3.6 (374)$1 · $0.00
The Changing Conceptions of the Universe - From Newton to Einstein -Benjamin Harrow, Albert Einstein, Arthur Stanley Eddington, Joseph Sweetman Ames, Joseph John Thomson, Frank Watson Dyson2h 57m3.6 (16)$1 · $0.00
The Aswân ObeliskReginald Engelbach2h 51m$1.99 · $0.00
History of GeographySir John Scott Keltie, O. J. R. Howarth4h 59m$1 · $0.00
Ancient Egyptian and Greek LoomsH. Ling Roth1h 38m$1 · $0.00
The Number Concept: Its Origin and DevelopmentLevi L. Conant6h 35m3.3 (24)$1 · $0.00
Brittany & Its BywaysBury Mrs. Palliser7h 8m$2 · $0.00
Illuminated Manuscripts in Classical and Mediaeval TimesJ. H. Middleton10h 36m$2 · $0.00
Terrestrial & Celestial GlobesEdward Luther Stevenson18h 48m4.2 (25)$2 · $0.00
An examination of some methods employed in determining the atomic weight of CadmiumJohn Emery Bucher59m$2 · $0.00
Corea or Cho-sen: The Land of the Morning CalmArnold Henry Savage Landor6h 10m$1 · $0.00