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Shatranj to Modern Chess, step by step.
In the course of my tournament game of Shatranj with Roberto Lavieri, and
the current game of Modern Shatranj we're playing, I've had opportunity
to think about the steps between Shatranj and today's chess. I believe
there are 6 basic steps between the two games in movement, and maybe 3 in
promotion rules. Each movement step changes Shatranj somewhat, giving a
playable game, when the steps are presented in reasonable order. Promotion
changes also affect the game, but they are not as basic, and may be
'folded in' to the movement changes. Promotion goes from only generals
to generals and lost pieces to freely-chosen pieces. 

Shatranj has 7 non-royal pieces, 5 of which are short range. Modern chess
(orthochess) has 7 non-royal pieces, 5 of which are long range. So, in
shatranj, the pieces are relatively weak; in chess, strong. In reasonable
order, the steps between shatranj and chess are:
1) The general (queen) goes from 1 square diagonally only to the king's
move. This is the least change from shatranj.
2) The elephant (bishop) goes from a 2-square diagonal jump (allowing it
only 8 positions on the board) to a 1-square diagonal move and the
2-square jump. At some point, the jump is lost, but probably later than
this.
3) Castling is allowed.
4) The double first move of pawns is allowed. En passant logically comes
here, as an adjunct to the double step, rather than a seperate step,
occurring later.
5) The bishops gain their modern move, and lose their jump, although an
interesting variant would allow them a 2-square jump with capture of the
intervening piece.
6) The queen gains her modern move, creating modern chess.
While numbers 3 and 4 may be reversed, these 6 steps are, pretty much, the
least (remaining) change from the previous step toward modern chess. 

Modern Shatranj incorporates the first 2 steps and intermediate promotion
rules, making a 'strong' Shatranj. Using steps 1 through 4 and freer
promotion would likely give a game that is still Shatranj-like but more
modern in some aspects of play. It would be a Hypermodern Shatranj. Steps
1 through 5 and totally free promotion would give us an Old Chess variant.


This is not meant as a history of chess, which I don't know, but a
speculation on how chess could evolve, and a way to see the effects of the
increasing range and power of the pieces. Is this worth putting in as a
variant? Or has this all been done before, and better?