Indian chess

Chess variant played in India Antique Indian chess set depicting elephants, horses and camels Indian chess is the name given to regional variations of chess played in India in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is distinct from chaturanga. There are several such variations, all quite similar to modern rules, with variants regarding castling, pawn promotion, etc. Differences from Western chess Arrangement of chessmen in Indian Chess on a chessboard in an Indian Chess Manual, the Muallim-ush-Shatranj Yar-e-Shatir (معلم الشطرنج یار شاطر), an exhaustive Urdu treatise authored in 1901 by Lala Raja Babu, the Superintendent of Palace Games for the Maharaja of Patiala. The two sides are stated surx bāzī (red) and sabz bāzī (green). abcdefgh8877665544332211abcdefghIndian chess starting position, identical to the starting position of western chess except for the placement of the black king and queen abcdefgh8877665544332211abcdefghIndian chess array: pieces are arranged in their traditional colours and faces, featuring the rook as a boat, minister as a ferz and elephant as an alfil. In many regional variants, however, these pieces adopt modern mobility, with the minister m