AllMovie

From Ancient India to the Sasanian Empire to the Golden Age of Islam to Medieval Europe, this captivating four-part docuseries explores how chess historically intersects between play and culture. Following a detailed investigation into what chess is and what distinguishes it from other games, this expository shows how chess incorporates a wide range of different games, such as xiangqi, shogi and makruk — tracking its remarkable cultural impact from the late 15th century to the present day, from the birth of the modern game to Renaissance dialogues, to artificial intelligence.