Chess as we play it today has a long and varied history. It once was thought to be derived from a four person game played in India, with each player controlling eight pieces moving four different directions on the chessboard. A two person version played in Persia was taken by the Crusaders from the Middle East back to Europe. But chess moved east as well as west. A version from Burma allows players to place their pieces anywhere on the board to start the game. A version from China has a piece called a canon, moving like a rook, but only capturing if it can jump over another piece. And in Japan, any piece that you capture can be dropped back on the board as your own piece! Learn the rules and play these five different versions of chess, and learn why chess rules!