Tamerlane, the brilliant and brutal Mongol warrior who ravaged much of Eastern and Central Asia in the closing years of the 14th century, was a devoted and skilled chess player. His interest in the game was so consuming that he allegedly named one of his sons after the rook he was moving across the chess board when he heard news of the child’s birth.

Tamerlane’s addiction to the game was not unusual amongst Old World military commanders. In its modern format, the game seems to have originated in 6th century India, where it was regarded not just as an idle leisure activity, but as an intellectual device for teaching military strategy. Its utility in military training undoubtedly accounts in good part for its rapid acceptance in virtually every Old World culture into which it was introduced. By the 12th century, playing chess had become a favoured pastime in courts and castles from Europe to China.