or ized ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁common ▁ancest or ▁of ▁the ▁board ▁games ▁ch ess , ▁sh og i , ▁sitt uy in , ▁and ▁mak ru k . ▁ ▁Ch atur anga ▁is ▁first ▁known ▁from ▁the ▁Gu pta ▁Empire ▁in ▁India ▁around ▁the ▁ 6 th ▁century ▁AD . ▁In ▁the ▁ 7 th ▁century , ▁it ▁was ▁adopted ▁as ▁ch atr ang ▁( sh at ran j ) ▁in ▁S ass an id ▁Pers ia , ▁which ▁in ▁turn ▁was ▁the ▁form ▁of ▁ch ess ▁brought ▁to ▁late - med ieval ▁Europe . ▁ ▁The ▁exact ▁rules ▁of ▁ch atur anga ▁are ▁unknown . ▁Ch ess ▁histor ians ▁suppose ▁that ▁the ▁game ▁had ▁similar ▁rules ▁to ▁those ▁of ▁its ▁successor , ▁sh at ran j . ▁In ▁particular , ▁there ▁is ▁uncertainty ▁as ▁to ▁the ▁moves ▁of ▁the ▁G aja ▁( ele ph ant ). ▁ ▁Origin ▁The ▁origin ▁of ▁ch atur anga ▁has ▁been ▁a ▁puzz le ▁for ▁centuries . ▁It ▁has ▁its ▁orig ins ▁in ▁Gu pta ▁Empire ▁with ▁earliest ▁clear ▁reference ▁d ating ▁from ▁the ▁sixth ▁century ▁of ▁the ▁common ▁era , ▁and ▁from ▁north ▁India . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁substantial ▁argument ▁that ▁ch atur anga ▁is ▁much ▁older ▁than ▁this ▁is ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁the ▁ch ari ot ▁is ▁the ▁most ▁powerful ▁piece ▁on ▁the ▁board , ▁although ▁ch ari ots ▁appear ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁ob sole te ▁in ▁war fare ▁for ▁at ▁least ▁five ▁or ▁six ▁centuries . ▁ ▁The ▁counter - argument ▁is ▁that ▁they