Both chess and checkers can trace their roots back to antiquity and have undergone significant changes to become the games we know today. Further information on the history and development of each game is provided below.
Although its exact beginnings are unknown, chess was likely created in either northern India or eastern Persia about the sixth century A.D. Originally called chaturanga, the game bears many resemblances to modern chess but has a few significant distinctions. For instance, there was no uniformity among the parts, so they might be different depending on where you were. Chess’s global popularity and development over the centuries have led to the game we know today. This evolution of the game and its rules and components spanned many centuries and saw countless modifications. The game’s widespread appeal in Europe by the Middle Ages led to the development of a number of canonical rules and component designs.
Originating in Egypt approximately 3000 BC, checkers is also known as draughts. Alquerque was an ancient Egyptian board game that was similar to checkers but played by distinct rules. A long time ago, in the Mediterranean region, a game was played that would eventually become the contemporary board game checkers. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the game flourished across Europe, inspiring several rule tweaks and board size innovations. Checkers’ meteoric rise to fame in the United States in the early 20th century has been matched only by its enduring popularity today.
The chess board and the checker (or draughts) board rules are not identical. The chessboard and pieces are tailored to a particular set of rules and gameplay, whereas the checkerboard and pieces are tailored to a different set of rules and gameplay.
The chessboard is a square grid, 8 squares on a side, with bright and dark squares alternating. There are 32 total pieces, 16 white and 16 black, and each has its own function and pattern of movement. There are two players on a chessboard, and the goal is to take the opponent’s king while defending your own. Players take turns making moves for their pieces on the board in accordance with the game’s rules, which are determined by how the pieces are initially arranged.
In contrast, a checkerboard is likewise a grid of 8 squares by 8 squares, but each square has a uniform color. All 24 pieces—12 white and 12 black—are identical and can only move in predetermined diagonal formations. Like chess, checkers is played between two people, with the goal being to either eliminate your opponent by capturing all of their pieces or trapping them in a corner where they can’t move. The game begins with the pieces being set in a predetermined pattern on the board, and then the players take turns rearranging the pieces in accordance with the game’s regulations.
Checkers and chess are both played on square grids with a fixed number of cells, but these grids are laid out and their game pieces are colored differently to suit the rules and strategies of their respective games.
In conclusion, checkers may have been around longer than chess, but both games have interesting and lengthy histories.