Chess, Tables -- The Games of Chess and Backgammon in Sasanian Persia
Sources:
A longish and very scholarly essay, adducing lots of evidence for early forms of the games in Persia, and discussing what we know about them in Persian society.
Note that much of this comes long before the games hit Europe. I can't speak to the accuracy of the discussion, but it seems well-cited and generally well-reasoned. As an appendix, it includes a transcription and translation of one of the major sources of Persian Chess and Tables.
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