(Fwd) Chess game

[Vidhyanath Rao]

The answer is that originally `Queen' = minister/general.
Similarly, `Bishop' = elephant and `castle' = chariot.

This brings up a strangeness in the game. Why was the elephant limited to
moving diagonally? Even stranger is the fact that the chariot had to stop
before turning. This is so unlike what chariots were regularly called on to
do in races in Greece, Vedic India (as described in the sutras) and
presumably in the Ancient Near East (in battles). Any thoughts?