The Russian word for chess is шахматы (pronounced "shāh māt") which is the same as the Farsi شاه مات. English translation: the king is Dead

This is also the origin of the English term “checkmate.”

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This is also the origin of the English term “checkmate.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkmate?wprov=sfti1#Etymology

it’s also the words for warning and the killing of the king joined together + ы

pronunciation is a bit diff tho bc of the Russian letter ы (which doesn't quite have an equivalent in English)

pronunciation is a bit diff tho bc of the Russian letter ы (which doesn't quite have an equivalent in English) https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D1%8B

Very cool nugget of info. Thank you. Will tell my students when back at school. That have really taken to chess.

What a cool connection! Fun fact: mat in Arabic means dead but in Farsi its more like aghast or dazed. So shah mat could mean aghast king which is perfect for chess since the king isnt really dead but just stuck or surrendering.