Wizārišn ī Čatrang ud Nihišn Nēw-Ardaxšīr
9th century
9th century
The text "The explanation of chess and the invention of the Nēw-Ardaxšīr" was written in Middle Persian (Pahlavi) in the 9th century.
It is also called Čatrang-nāmag (The Book of Chess).
The oldest copy dates back to 1322: it is the MK manuscript (named in honor of Mihrabān Kayhusraw, its Iranian scribe), which is preserved in Bombay, India.
The name Nēw-Ardaxšīr, meaning 'the noble Ardashir,' underwent phonetic contraction over time, evolving from 'Nardašīr' into the simplified form 'Nard'.
wuzurg-mihr guft kū: az dahibedān andar ēn hazārag ardaxšīr kardār-tar ud danāg-tar būd ud nēw-ardaxšīr ēd juxt pad nām ī ardaxšīr nihēm.
taxtag ī nēw-ardaxšīr ō spandarmad zamīg homānāg kunēm.
ud sīh muhrag ō sīh rōz ud šabān homānāg kunēm, pānzdah ī spēd ō rōz homānāg kunēm ud pānzdah <ī> syā ō šab homānāg kunēm.
gardānāg ēd juxt ō wardišn ī axtarān ud gardišn ī spihr homānāg kunēm.
ēk abar gardānāg-ē ōwōn homānāg kunēm kū ohrmazd ēk ast <ud> har nēkīh ōy dād.
dō ēdōn homānāg kunēm čiyōn mēnōg ud gētīg.
sē ōwōn homānāg kunēm čiyōn humat ud hūxt ud huwaršt ud menišn ud gōwišn ud kunišn.
čahār ōwōn homānāg kunēm čiyōn čahār āmēzišn kē mardōm aziš, aziš čahār sōg gētīg: xwarāsān ud xwarwarān, nēm-rōz ud abāxtar.
panj ōwōn homānāg kunēm čiyōn panj rōšnīh čiyōn xwaršēd ud māh ud stārag <ud> ātaxš ud warzag <ī> az asmān āyēd.
šaš ōwōn homānāg kunēm čiyōn dādan ī dām pad šaš gāhānbār.
nihādag ī nēw-ardaxšīr abar taxtag ēdōn homānāg kunēm čiyōn ohrmazd xwadāy ka-š dām ō gētīg dād.
wardišn ud gardišn ī muhrag pad gardānāg-ē ōwōn homānāg čiyōn mardōmān ī andar gētīg band ō mēnōgān paywast ēstēd, pad haft ud dwāzdah hamāg wardēnd <ud> wihēzēnd; ud ka ast ēk ō did zanēnd, ud abar čīnēnd čiyōn mardōmān andar gētīg ēk ō did zanēnd.
ud ka pad gardānāg-ē ēd gardišn hamāg abar čīnēnd hangōšīdag ī mardōm kē hamāg az gētīg widarišn bawēnd ud ka did-iz bē nihēnd hangōšīdag {ī} ī mardōmān kē pad rist-āxēz hamāg zīndag abāz bawēnd.
Bozorgmehr [during the reign of Khosrow Anushirvan (531–579)] said thus: « Among the rulers of this millennium Ardaxšīr was more capable and most wise and I will name this (game) Nēw-Ardaxšīr in Ardaxšīr’s name.
I will make the board of the Nēw-Ardaxšīr like the Spandarmad earth.
and I will make 30 pieces like the 30 night and day, I will make 15 white, like the day, and I will make 15 black, like the night.
I will make one single die as the turning of the constellations and the revolution of the frmament.
I will make the one on the dice like Ohrmzad, who is one and all goodness was created by him.
I will make the two like the spiritual and the material world.
I will make the three like good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, and thoughts, words, and deeds.
I will make the four like the four elements which the people are made of, and (like) the four corners of the world, northeast and southwest, and southeast, and northwest.
I will make the fve like the fve lights, like the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the fire and the heavenly brightness which descends from the sky.
I will make the six like the creation of the creatures during the six periods of Gāhānbārs.
I shall arrange the Nēw-Ardaxšīr on the board as the Lord Ohrmazd distributed the beings in the earthly world when He created them.
The turning and revolution of the pieces by the die is like people in the material world, their bond connected to the spiritual world, through the 7 and 12 (planets and constellation) they all have their being and move on, and when it is as if they hit one against another and collect, it is like people in the material world, one hits another (person).
And when by the turning of this die all are collected, it is in the likeness of the people who all passed out from the material world (died), and when they set them up again, it is in the likeness of the people who during the (time of ) resurrection, all will come to life again. »