Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-06-01
CHESS is THE OLDEST OF ALL GAMES
According tn Recent Discoveries IL Was
known 5000 Years Ago.

Chess players with turn for the his
tory of their strategic amusement will
be interested To learn that all the n.y.
potheses as To the origin of the game
have suddenly been mated" by re-
cent extraordinary discovery in Egypt
Ii was generally assumed until now
that the ancient Indians had invented
chess; that ii was introduced from In
dia To Persia in the sixth century, and
that by the Arabs; and in consequence
of the crusades it spread from east to
west.
Ii is true the Chinese-who invented
many things in time long gone, but
which had afterward To he reinvented
in Europe-assert that they can trace
chess in their own country 10 about 200
years before our era. Now there can
certainly he no doubt that in the char
acter OF the figures at present used, and
in some of the words connected with
the game-such ~ "schach" (shaw)
and matt, or mate-an Indian. Per-
sian and Arabic influence is traceable.
But here comes news of the latest ex-
cavations on the pyramid fields of SAX
kara, which have brought to light
wall painting, on which high official
is represented as playing chess with
partner at the time of the government
of King Teta, who belonged To the Sixth
Dynasty. Prof. Brugsch, correcting
this chronology, puts it back to still
greater antiquity-namely to the year
$500 b. G. So that chess would have
been known in the once mysterious land
of Mizraim something like $500 years
ago.
1t was north of the pyramid of King
Teta, or Teti, that two grave chambers
have been discovered which were erect
ed for two high officials of that ruler
Their names were kabin and Meruka,
called Mera. The grave chamber( mas
taba) of the former consists of five
rooms, built up with limestone. lis
walls are covered with exceedingly
well preserved has reliefs and pictures
representing various scenes. The Old
grave chamber. that of Mera, is the
most valuable. Until now no less chan
twenty-seyen halls and corridors have
been uncovered.
There are beautiful grave columns;
in the chief room there Is, i'm a niche,
tinted statue OF the departed, about
seven feet high, with sacriiicial table
of alabaster before it. Among the
many wall paintings in this and other
rooms hunting and fishing scenes, a
group of female mourners, "The Three
Seasons, "Mera and His Sons Holding
Each Other by the Hand and "Mera
Playing Chess are To be seen. So
grand is the impression this grave
chamber makes upon the behoider that
the Arabs engaged in the work would
not call it IA "mastaba, but "kilissa'
(temple or church).
Various valuable sarcophagi have also
been discovered. a structure of colos-
sal dimensions, situated at the western
end OF the metropolis, is being laid bare;
the labor connected with it will proba-
bly, extend over several years. Its die
rection is, like that of all the buildings
OF old Egypt, from north to south
In Abu-Sir also several tombs have
been excavated. One of the grave
Chepses. who lived under the Fifth Dy-
nasty, has already yielded important
results, although only two rooms have
been opened. From the descriptions it
seems that pilgrims had come there for
centuries. They are so-called "lotus
columns, the capitals of which initiate
the lotus flower They are said to sur
pass in beauty Of execution, as well as
in antiquity, those of Benz Hasan of
Luxor and Medamut. Three large
statues which have been found are
broken. The remnants of one OF them
show it to have been IL feet high
Pan MN l,0zer9