chaturanga
Ancient Indian strategy
Chaturanga is an ancient Indian board game considered the ancestor of chess.
The name comes from Sanskrit words meaning "four limbs," referring to the four divisions of an army: infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots—pieces that evolved into modern chess's pawns, knights, bishops, and rooks.
In contemporary use, chaturanga more commonly names a yoga pose—a low plank position with bent elbows, part of the sun salutation sequence: Hold chaturanga for five breaths.
Flat rigid panel
- piecesParts of something divided
- chessStrategic board game
- strategyPlanned approach to goals
- kingMale crowned ruler
queen · bishop · knight · rook · pawn · move · capture · stalemate
Ground combat troops
- cavalryMounted military force
- elephantsTusked, trunk-bearing mammals
- chariotsAncient wheeled battle platforms
- battleArmed military engagement
formation · warfare · military · troops · generals · flanking · deployment · divisions
Ancient Indo-Aryan language
- VedicOf Hindu sacred writings
- GuptaWidespread South Asian surname
- ancientVery old indeed
- IndiaSouth Asian republic
Mahabharata · Dharma · Indus · dynasty · kingdom · feudal · historical · Ganges
Methods to achieve goals
- planningArranging for future events
- foresightAbility to anticipate futures
- positioningArranging in specific locations
- advantageFavorable position or circumstance
counterplay · initiative · defense · offense · mobility · adaptation · anticipation · calculation
Traditional Chinese board game
- shogiJapanese tactical board game
- predecessorOne who came first
- evolutionSpecies changing over generations
- ancestorPredecessor in lineage
transmission · Persia · Arabia · medieval · Europe
board
Flat rigid panel
king · queen · bishop · knight · rook · pawn · move · capture · stalemate · opening
infantry
Ground combat troops
- cavalryMounted military force
- elephantsTusked, trunk-bearing mammals
- chariotsAncient wheeled battle platforms
battle · formation · warfare · military · troops · generals · flanking · deployment · divisions · ranks
Sanskrit
Ancient Indo-Aryan language
India · Mahabharata · Dharma · Indus · dynasty · kingdom · feudal · historical · Ganges · Persian
tactics
Methods to achieve goals
- planningArranging for future events
- foresightAbility to anticipate futures
- positioningArranging in specific locations
advantage · counterplay · initiative · defense · offense · mobility · adaptation · anticipation · calculation · sacrifice
xiangqi
Traditional Chinese board game
- shogiJapanese tactical board game
- predecessorOne who came first
- evolutionSpecies changing over generations
ancestor · transmission · Persia · Arabia · medieval · Europe
- board gamesboard, checkers, Monopoly, chess, shogi
- yogaasana, asanas, pranayama, yoga class, yoga pose
- Asian gamesgo, judo, karate, kendo, mahjong
- yoga posesdownward dog, tree pose, child's pose, warrior pose, cobra pose
- chess historycastling, knight move, vizier
- South Asian gamescarrom, snakes and ladders, cowrie shells, kite flying, kite fighting
chaturangachess
Strategic board game
speed chess · computer chess · blitz chess · shogi · xiangqi
chaturangadice games
Games using numbered cubes
craps · roulette · slot machines · lottery · bingo