Sanskrit Works on the Game of Chess

Summary

Although chess is widely regarded as originating in India, Sanskrit treatises describing the game are surprisingly scarce. This article surveys the extant literature and manuscript evidence on caturanga, the early form of chess. The earliest known independent treatise, the Caturangadipika, survives in a single manuscript dated 1701 Saka era and was printed in 1930. Another manuscript, the Caturangatarangini, is reported from Nepal, but it remains unpublished. Lesser‑known works such as Caturanga‑bembh, Caturangaprakasa and Caturangakridana are briefly mentioned. The author also notes that descriptions of chess occur incidentally in non‑chess texts—for example, Raghunandana’s Tithi‑tattva contains a dialogue between Vyasa and Yudhiṣṭhira explaining the game, and a similar dialogue appears in a Kashmir manuscript linked to the Jayakaumudi. In addition, the article refers to H. P. Sastri’s English translation of the Tithi‑tattva passage and to the expertise of Trivenicaraya Sastri, who flourished about seven centuries ago. By compiling a preliminary bibliography of manuscripts and printed texts, the article underscores the need for a systematic study of Sanskrit chess literature. Such research would illuminate how caturanga evolved into modern chess and how strategic concepts were transmitted across cultures.