Shatranj

Shatranj is the medieval form of chess from which the modern game descends, played on the same 8×8 board but with slower, shorter-range pieces. The rook and knight move as you'd expect, but the counsellor and elephant are far weaker, so games turn on patient manoeuvring rather than long-range power.

• The Fers (counsellor) steps just one square diagonally; the Alfil (elephant) jumps exactly two squares diagonally, leaping over anything between.
• Pawns never double-step and promote only to a Fers.
• Win by checkmate, or by reducing your foe to a lone Shah (king), unless they bare yours right back next move, which is a draw.
• Stalemating your opponent also counts as a win.

• Vs computer: easy, medium, or hard, and you may play White or Black.
• Hot-seat: take turns on a single screen.
• Online: create an invite, join with a code, or quick-match.

• Desktop: click a piece to select it, its legal squares are marked, then click a destination to move.
• Phone & tablet: tap to select, tap again to move. The board flips to face your side automatically.

• With the counsellor and elephant so feeble, the rook and knight carry the attack, develop and double your rooks early.
• The lone-king win means trading down a winning material lead is often enough; just keep your own Shah from being bared on the reply.

Shatranj is the medieval game from which modern chess directly descends. Born from the Indian game of chaturanga around the 6th century, it was taken up in Persia and then across the Islamic world, where it was studied, written about and loved for centuries. When it reached Europe it slowly evolved into the chess we know.

Shatranj is the historical chess of the medieval Islamic world, the direct ancestor of the modern game. This is an original, free browser build of the public-domain game, complete with a computer opponent, no download or sign-up.

A free, original browser game on PlayPendium. No download, no install.