Circular Chess: Byzantine Shatranj (Arrumiya)

Historically known as Byzantine Chess or Shatranj al-Rumiya, this variant is played on a circular board of four concentric rings. It is notably documented in Kitab ash-Shatranj, the world’s first systematic treatise on chess strategy. It might be more than a coincidence that one of the authors of Kitab ash-Shatranj was Al-Adli Ar-Rumi, known as the first world chess champion. Rumi stands for the Roman Empire and coming from Roman lands. By eliminating corners and creating a continuous path, this version challenged players to adapt their tactics to a circular flow, representing a sophisticated peak in medieval strategic thought across the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds.