Chess as a Reflection of the Cultural Space of the Arab Caliphate

The article examines the phenomenon of chess culture in the era of the Arab caliphate. It is shown that the golden age of shatranj (the Arabic version of chess) coincided with the rapid development of Arabic culture and science, thus reflecting the socio-cultural realities of that time. It is revealed that the treatise “The ethics of Chess” by the Arab thinker Raghib Ishafani demonstrates philosophical ideas in relation to the game of chess. The popularity of shatranj, which was demonstrated by the interest of state leaders and the holding of the first chess competitions in history, is noted, and attention is focused on the reason for its widespread use. The similarity of the rules of chess and the religious beliefs of the mutazilites, manifested in the concept of freedom of choice, is demonstrated. The reasons preventing the further development of the shatranj in the Arab caliphate are explained. It is shown that this fact was due to the religious mentality of the Arab-Islamic type of culture and the slow nature of the development of the social institutions of the East. It is noted that the further filiation of ideas from the Arab world to Europe led to the development of chess not only as a game, but also as a model reflecting the cultural and social processes taking place in society.