[spankalib]

From Iran/Persia? I believe checkmate is from sha mat (king is dead).
This is idiocy.

[onedoug]

The oldest known chess manual was in Arabic and dates to 840–850, written by al-Adli ar-Rumi (800–870), a renowned Arab chess player, titled Kitab ash-shatranj (Book of the chess). This is a lost manuscript, but referenced in later works. --from Wikipedia

'Guess this sheet-head missed that one.

(I really suspect he's never won a game, and so has decided it is haram.)

[Republic_Venom]

The most commonly held belief is that chess originated in India, where it was called Chaturanga, which appears to have been invented in the 6th century AD. Persians created a more modern version of the game after the Indians.