Chess Books

The first official World Champion of chess, Wilhelm Steinitz, claimed the title in 1886, but by that time the game already had a long and full history. Chess is believed to have originated in sixth-century India, with a game called chaturanga. The earliest evidence of chess as we know it was unearthed in Persia and dates to around the same time period. The game evolved over time, and the first book about strategy in chess appeared in the fifteenth century. Chess is now played around the world, and many collectors enjoy building a personal library around the history of the game.