work, for to bring that now submitted within assigned compass
and cost, I have had to omit much that would be needful to render
such a work complete, and to give but a Bird's eye view of
chapters which would well merit undiminished space. Thus the
complete scores and analyses of the matches, tournaments and
great personal tests of skill and statistics of the game would
be acceptable to a few, whilst the full accounts of individual
players such as Philidor, Staunton, Anderssen, Morphy, Lowenthal,
Steinitz, Zukertort, Blackburne and perhaps even Bird, (Bailey's
and Ruskin's opinions) would be regarded and read with interest
by many chess players.

Respecting the supposed first source of chess the traditional
and conjectural theories which have grown up throughout so many
ages, regarding the origin of chess, have not become abandoned
even in our own days, and we generally hear of one or other of
them at the conclusion of a great tournament. It has been no
uncommon thing during the past few years to find Xerxes,
Palamedes, and even Moses and certain Kings of Babylon credited
with the invention of chess.

The conclusions arrived at by the most able and trustworthy
authorities however, are, that chess originated in India, was
utterly unknown to the Greeks and Romans, and was first
introduced into Europe from Persia shortly after the sixth
century of our era. In its earliest Asiatic form styled the
Chaturanga, It was adapted for four persons, having four small
armies of eight each. King, three pieces answering to our Rook,
Bishop, and Knight, Elephant (Chariot or Ship,) and Horse, with
four Pawns. The players decided what piece to move by the throw