why was chess invented

there seems to be no purpose to chess so why would someone invent it. I gather it was initially used as a means of sharpening tactical ability in battles and how to deploy forces etc. is that true?

chess was created as a method of control. Albert Einstein. "Chess holds its master in its own bonds, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom of the very strongest must suffer." That is why Morphy & Fischer went crazy. they realized chess can't be masterd!

According to a story I heard, it was devised by a sage to teach an unexperienced yet belligerent king how to wage war.

The legend I heard which may have been passed on by the musical "Chess", is that after some female Indian ruler lost one of her sons killed by his brother in battle, advisers devised the game to console her.

I have a very faint recollection of having read that Alexander the Great's thrust into what is now Northern India described the armed opposition has being arrayed in type and disposition vaguely like a chess army.

to give me nightmares about bad moves

“Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather, 'I have found a truth'.”
― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

The history of chess can be traced back nearly 1500 years, although the earliest origins are uncertain. The earliest predecessor of the game probably originated in India, before the 6th century AD; a minority of historians believe the game originated in China. From India, the game spread to Persia. When the Arabs conquered Persia, chess was taken up by the Muslim world and subsequently spread to Southern Europe. In Europe, chess evolved into roughly its current form in the 15th century.

"Romantic chess" was the predominant chess playing style from the late 15th century to the 1880s.^[1] Chess games of this period emphasised more on quick, tactical maneuvers rather than long-term strategic planning.^[1] The Romantic era of play was followed by the Scientific, Hypermodern, and New Dynamism eras.^[1] In the second half of the 19th century, modern chess tournament play began, and the first World Chess Championship was held in 1886. The 20th century saw great leaps forward in chess theory and the establishment of the World Chess Federation (FIDE). Developments in the 21st century include use of computers for analysis, which originated in the 1970s with the first programmed chess games on the market. Online gaming appeared in the mid-1990s.

Chess remains a highly popular pastime to this day. A 2012 survey found that "chess players now make up one of the largest communities in the world: 605 million adults play chess regularly". Chess is played at least once a year by 12% of British people, 15% of Americans, 23% of Germans, 43% of Russians, and 70% of Indian people.^[2]

My second question is:

Why is chess popular in specific countries and not so popular in others.

Any ideas?

The origins of chess has passed from legend to myth, so nobody will ever know how it began.  Most scholars agree that there was a precurser game that started in probably India. By the time it moved the middle east then Persia and the Byzantium empire, it was looking closer to modern day chess. Sometime in the middle ages, between 1300 and 1500 A.D. if I recall, the queen became much stronger, transforming to what we use now, pawns were given the ability to move two spaces for the first move, and castling was introduced.

Been some years since I read the History of chess, so my dates could be off.

That's an interesting philosophical / psychological question. 

Teleology is dumb. Stop it.

this is @pdve we're talking about, so of course you have to turn it into an inane, insipid, and low-effort troll.

It started in India, eventually moved through the middle east, Byzantium/Persia before moving into Europe, where it became popular with both royalty and with the military. It was probably considered the type of game that naturally looked very similar to planning actual military battles. Even if it's use in terms of the military was limited, it was still a good game to teach logic and critical thinking.

By the late 1700's to the 1800's it became an intellectual pastime, and in particular in Paris, where it became a way for intellectuals to meet. In particular, there was a cafe in Paris that was renowned for playing chess, and even Benjermin Franklin played there when he was in Paris.

Slowly it became more popular in the 1800's and newspapers and magazines and periodicles would post chess problems (later known as chess compositions) and have contests to create chess compositions.

After the Trans-Atlantic cable was installed, it was a huge news item, and it didn't take long before matches between players or teams in Europe to play against American players. Also, by the late 19th century, bonifide chess masters were around, playing high quality chess and doing other things that were newsworthy, like playing simuls, having big matches between top players. Also teams from different countries would play matches by the late 1800's, which were also big news in Europe and in America.

yes but we can all agree that we are relieved that chess was in fact invented.

Incorrect.

mariners so you would rather that chess were never invented.

what would you play ? LUDO?

it was invented so in the future, trolls could make troll posts on chess.com

no im quite sure that 1500 years ago there were no trolls. or maybe everyone was a troll in a manner of speaking.

Anyone who seriously needs to ask this question needs his phone taken away right now!  I'll put you out in the wilderness, no radio, no books, magazines or newspapers.  No TV, internet, computer, or telephone.  Wait a year, and you will know the answer.