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I had heard from someone that Chess evolved from Chaturanga then Shatranj. Are there any pointers towards this?

I would like to know counter arguments as well, if any.

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3  
This doesn't answer your question, but we still call chess, "Shatranj" (شطرنج) in Arabic. – Soufiane Hassou May 2 '12 at 13:10
Along with pointers, I'd be happy to see historical evidence on this question. – Nikana Reklawyks Nov 17 '12 at 20:37
@SoufianeHassou We also still call it Shatranj in Persian – OmnipresentAbsence Feb 24 at 22:05

4 Answers

up vote 5 down vote

Those two games are indeed early forms of chess. The pieces were similar, although their moves were different, and there were some chess rules that had not yet been invented; however, chess evolved from those early games.

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up vote 4 down vote

Chaturanga indeed is chess. In Hindi language Chaturanga (shatranj in Arablic), is what chess (which is in English) called.

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up vote 3 down vote

There are many games that share a common of ancestor of chess. These include Xiangqi (Chinese chess) and the mighty Shogi, among others.

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up vote -1 down vote

I found this article very informative: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200904/the.game.of.kings.htm

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