The history of chess, more specifically the history of Western Chess, spans more than 1500 years. The earliest predecessors of the game originated in India in the 6th century AD and spread to Persia from there. Chess play was taken up by the Muslim world when the Arabs conquered Persia, and reached Southern Europe via that route. In Europe, the game of chess evolved into its current form in the 15th century. In the second half of the 19th century, modern tournament chess play began, and the first world chess championship was held in 1886. The first half of the 20th century saw great progress made in chess theory and the establishment of the World Chess Federation.