In chess why is a castle called a rook?

Answer 1

There will probably other theories about the origin of the name "rook" for this Chess piece; however her is the one I believe is best. IN the origins of the game itself, the game was called Chaturanga and it was not exactly the same as modern chess. The piece we call a rook was considered to be a chariot rather than a castle, probably because of the speed with which it moves. The Sanskrit word for chariot was "ratha". In Arabic it is still referred to as a chariot with the name "rukhkh." When the game spread to Europe, the word "rukhkh" sounded like the Italian word "rocco", which meant "tower." Since the two words sounded alike, the Italian word was used but the meaning changed from chariot to tower. The piece is still thought of as a tower in European translations. Various European countries use their language's word for "tower" rather than their words for "chariot". In Middle English the concept of tower eventually turned into castle since most castles had towers.

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Answer 2

The chess pieces at either side of the board get their English name from the Persian word for "chariot" (rokh), originally a Sanskrit term (rath). The explanation is that some chariots were once designed to look like mobile fortifications, or they may represent siege towers. Certainly you would not be transporting a stone castle from place to place.

Answer 3

Historically , the rook symbolized a chariot and the Persian word "Rukh" meant chariot .

Answer 4

In the medieval shatranj (an older form of chess) , the rook symbolized a chariot . The Persian word rukh means chariot .