Chess Throughout the Ages

Over the years, chess has spread throughout the world and enjoyed massive waves of popularity. While chess is thought to have originated as a war game, it was seen as a game of nobility and education in Europe in the 1500s. History has shown from actions in Europe around the year 1500 that chess had become strongly ingrained in western society.

The game’s popularity was helped by its once noble social cache: a chess set was often associated with wealth, knowledge, and power. As a result, it became fashionable for aristocrats to have live-in chess masters. In fact, during difficult times in Europe there were massive attacks on “ungodly pursuits,” but chess was often defended while other pastimes were denied.

As a result, chess has long been considered the ultimate test of intellectual activity. But chess is more than just a game of skill. The worldwide fascination for chess continues to be astonishing. Research shows there is more literature devoted to chess than for all other games combined. Check mate!