Mark Weeks, the Chess guide at About.com, is doing what he does best by incorporating a more prominent element of Chess History into that well-established site. While the proffered history doesn't delve into great detail, it is quite accurate and complete as a basic historical overview of chess.

Here are links to some of the topics covered:

Origins of Chess
Chess in the Middle Ages
The Origin of Modern Chess
Late 18th - Early 19th Century
French School of Chess
Chess in the Early 19th Century : Chess Becomes Organized
Rise of the Soviet Chess Hegemony
 

Check it out.

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