A strange little side quest
Chinese Chess belongs to a much longer story of play than a browser tab might suggest. Modern chess traces back to the Indian game chaturanga, recorded around the sixth century and built around pieces representing parts of an army. The same trail leads to another fact: The name Tetris combines a reference to four-square pieces with Pajitnov's interest in tennis. That long chain of experiments is part of why strategy games still feels fresh when a game finds the right twist.
