“Sheikh” (شيخ) is the Arabic word for a monarch. Players would announce “Sheikh” when the king was in check. “Māt” (مات) is an Arabic adjective for “dead,” “helpless,” or “defeated.” So the king is in mate when he is ambushed, at a loss, or abandoned to his fate.
The history of chess goes back almost 15 centuries. The game originated in northern India in the 6th century AD and spread to Persia. When the Arabs conquered Persia, chess was taken up by the Muslim world and subsequently, through the Moorish conquest of Spain, spread to Southern Europe.
Buddhist pilgrims, Silk Road traders, and others carried it to the Far East where it was transformed into a game often played on the intersection of the lines of the board rather than within the squares. Chinese chess and the Japanese game, Shogi, are the most important of the Eastern chess variants. However, it was the changes made in medieval Europe that led to the Western game known as Chess.
One of the most radical changes of all was the emergence of the queen as chess’ most powerful player during the 15th and 16th centuries. The shift was far from random. Instead, it reflected the previously unheard-of rise of empowered female monarchs. This form of chess got such names as “Queen’s Chess” or “Mad Queen Chess” (Italian alla rabiosa = “with the madwoman”). Checkmate became easier and games could now be won in fewer moves. These new rules quickly spread throughout Western Europe and in Spain, reflecting the modern game we know today.
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