Where does the term "Indian" derive?

[John Upham]

A quick one question quiz for everyone :

What is the historical root of the word "Indian" when used to describe an Indian type defence?

[Matt Mackenzie]

A quick one question quiz for everyone :

What is the historical root of the word "Indian" when used to describe an Indian type defence?

Something to do with only being allowed to move the pawn one square initially in the historic Indian variant of the game, I always thought........

[carstenpedersen]

I thought the term "Indian" was supposed to originate from Tartakower who commented, when these newfangled systems started to appear in the 20's, that anything so mysterious must originate from India.

Saying that, I've never seen any primary sources or even suggestions regarding where he first used it. I'd love to think it was in "The Hypermodern Game of Chess" but it probably wasn't (does anyone have a copy?).

[John Upham]

I thought the term "Indian" was supposed to originate from Tartakower who commented, when these newfangled systems started to appear in the 20's, that anything so mysterious must originate from India.

I asked this questions since I was reading "Indian Systems" by Ludek Pachman and he provides the same explanation as above.

Any chess historians know better than this?

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

I read that the term originated from the games of one Indian player in particular - Moheschunder Bannerjee, who played countless games against the well known English player John Cochrane between 1848 and 1860.
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=85637

[Roger de Coverly]

A Google of indian winter chess comes up with

http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/earliest.html

from which

‘Indian Defence.’ Chess Openings by J. Mason (London, 1897), page 92. A reference to 1 e4 d6.

‘Indian Opening.’ International Chess Magazine, August 1891, page 237. (Heading to a game which began 1 e4 e5 2 d3.)

‘Indian Defence.’ Chess Player’s Chronicle, 22 October 1884, page 172. Note after 1 e4 d6 2 d4 g6: ‘An example of the rare Indian Defence, so called on account of its introduction by the celebrated Indian Chess Player, the Brahmin Moheschunder Bonnerjee, in his games against Cochrane.’

‘The Indian Opening’ (heading to a game between Green and Paulsen beginning 1 e4 e5 2 d3). The note after 2 d3 reads: ‘Our efforts to trace this move to its inventor, by examining the various works treating upon the principles of the openings, have been fruitless. We find no mention made of it by either ancient or modern writers. Mr Green, however, informs us that this opening is common among the native players in Hindostan. We propose, therefore, to name it “the Indian Opening”.’ The Chess Congress of 1862 by J. Löwenthal (London, 1864).

These pre-date the terms King's Indian, Queen's Indian and Nimzo-Indian, not least because they had yet to be played as recognised opening systems.

Checking the database, the earliest example of the sequence 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 is by Paulsen in 1879
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 turns up in a correspondence game in 1854. The better known early example is by Blackburne in 1883
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 dates from 1887, with Blackburne playing white
The first example of the "old" Indian with 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 d6 doesn't show up until 1903. There are a couple of earlier games where Black continued with .. g6.

The use of the terms Nimzo-Indian etc. may be much much later. For example again by Winter

http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/wint ... overlooked

On pages 3-5 of the January 1925 Wiener Schachzeitung and pages 17-18 of the following issue (also January) Nimzowitsch annotated two games. Although they began 1 d4 e6 2 c4 Nf6 3 Nc3 Bb4 and 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 respectively, both openings were simply identified as ‘Indisch’. By the end of the decade the former opening was being given Nimzowitsch’s name. For instance, on pages 579-581 of L’Echiquier, January 1930 Tartakower contributed an analytical article entitled ‘Une variante à la mode’ which referred to 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 as ‘La “Variante de Nimzowitch”’.

Tartakower again.

It would seem the term "Indian defence" was used for anything where Black moved pawns only one square in the opening. Once this style of defence became commonplace, the names needed to be expanded.

[Tim Harding]

D. J. Morgan (in BCM Quotes and Queries #832, Jan. 1960, p. 21) wrote that "the Indian Defences have no connection at all with India" but IMHO that was an overstatement.

In the Ghulam Kassim book, discussed in another thread, there is a comment to 1 g3 in the 1828 Hyderabad-Madras game: "Many of the Indian players commence their game this way."

Of course it is true that some "Indian" defences like the Nimzo were not played in India, others were (as has already been pointed out here in connection with Bannerjee) and this was well known in Europe.

[Gavin Strachan]

India

[Simon Dixon]

Its because the shape of the three pawns resembles a teepee. In which the top chief lives.

Fairly accurate, its because the pawns resembles an indian brave with a feather on his head.

[Geoff Chandler]

"Its because the shape of the three pawns resembles a teepee. In which the top chief lives."

That is the correct answer. The term was used because the fianchetto
does indeed resemble a red Indian teepee.

The clincher being only one red Indain tribe acually built their teepees
in the shape of a fianchetto defence and that was the PAWNee.

[Simon Dixon]

does indeed resemble a red Indian teepee.

But they are not called the teepee defences, the clue is in the name indian.

[Geoff Chandler]

They are not called the teepee defences because the teepee
was a permanent red indian home made of mud and grass sods.

The mobile home nomadic tribes like the Pawnee used were called 'chettos' .
The 'Chief in Chetto' meant the cheif was holding council in his tent.
Early white settlers turned this phrase into Fianchetto.

The red Indian influence on chess has been ignored by writers and historians.
100 years before Alekhine was born The Alekhine Defence was called The Crazy Horse.

[Simon Dixon]

The mobile home nomadic tribes like the Pawnee used were called 'chettos' .

According to google.

Most Pawnee Indians lived in settled villages of round earthen lodges. Pawnee lodges were made from wooden frames covered with packed earth. When the Pawnee tribe went on hunting trips, they used buffalo-hide tipis (or teepees) as temporary shelter, similar to camping tents.

[Gavin Strachan]

so why is the Nimzo Indian and Indian defence if it doesn't have a tepee?

[Simon Dixon]

All we know for sure is Nimzowich stuck his name to a variation of the Indian. I don't think anybody knows for sure why, when, or who first used the term Indian.

I am claiming ownership of the Irish opening.