user32873: I was surprised to learn that the word "Tabiya" comes from the Arabic language. I know of no other Arabic terms in chess and know that most of its terminology is Russian or Yiddish: E.G. Patzer, Rezshenie, Priyome.
Does anyone know when and where the term Tabiya started being used by chess players?

user30536: As Oxford Companion to Chess (new ed., 1992) derives the term from Shatranj, it seems reasonable to assume that its first use by chess players would be by players who played Shatranj or closely related chess variants.  That is Arabian or Persian players ... in the Middle Ages, or thereabouts. (It may be used in non-chess related contexts, but I ignore those.)
Later, it is used mainly by game or chess historians (von der Lasa, Forbes, Weber, van der Linde and others) in Europe, but presumably still in use where Islamic chess is played.
I first wrote: "I see no reason to believe it is used any any significant way by chess players who follow modern chess rules, i.e. from 1850 or so." but searches for the term in modern chess books shows that it is being used by writers such as Soltis and Alburt, but apparently in a slightly different sense of a 'common opening position' or 'standard position in a particular opening'.

user4418: The earliest use of the word "tabiya" that I can find in western literature is from A Dictionary, Hindūstānī and English by John Shakespear published in 1820 where it says on page 250:

tabiya 1. Arrangement, disposition 2. Drawing up of an army 3. Inlaying

Not clear that that is a chess reference.
The earliest chess reference I could find in English was from The Chess-monthly - Volume 2 - Page 200 published in 1880

The earliest chess reference I could find in any language was 1868 - ABC des Échecs, ou introduction à l'étude de la stratégie raisonnée des echecs


32873: <p>I was surprised to learn that the word &quot;Tabiya&quot; comes from the Arabic language. I know of no other Arabic terms in chess and know that most of its terminology is Russian or Yiddish: E.G. Patzer, Rezshenie, Priyome.</p>
<p>Does anyone know when and where the term Tabiya started being used by chess players?</p>
 30536: <p>As Oxford Companion to Chess (new ed., 1992) derives the term from Shatranj, it seems reasonable to assume that its first use by chess players would be by players who played Shatranj or closely related chess variants.  That is Arabian or Persian players ... in the Middle Ages, or thereabouts. (It may be used in non-chess related contexts, but I ignore those.)</p>
<p>Later, it is used mainly by game or chess historians (von der Lasa, Forbes, Weber, van der Linde and others) in Europe, but presumably still in use where Islamic chess is played.</p>
<p>I first wrote: &quot;I see no reason to believe it is used any any significant way by chess players who follow modern chess rules, i.e. from 1850 or so.&quot; but searches for the term in modern chess books shows that it is being used by writers such as Soltis and Alburt, but apparently in a slightly different sense of a 'common opening position' or 'standard position in a particular opening'.</p>
 4418: <p>The earliest use of the word &quot;tabiya&quot; that I can find in western literature is from <em><a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Dictionary_Hind%C5%ABst%C4%81n%C4%AB_and_English/o7RIAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;dq=%22tabiya%22&amp;pg=PA250&amp;printsec=frontcover" rel="noreferrer">A Dictionary, Hindūstānī and English</a></em> by John Shakespear published in 1820 where it says on page 250:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>tabiya 1. Arrangement, disposition 2. Drawing up of an army 3. Inlaying</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Not clear that that is a chess reference.</p>
<p>The earliest chess reference I could find in English was from <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Chess_monthly/ZFoFAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;dq=%22tabiya%22&amp;pg=PA200&amp;printsec=frontcover" rel="noreferrer">The Chess-monthly - Volume 2 - Page 200</a> published in 1880</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/oaibE.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/oaibE.jpg" alt="Chess Monthly 1880" /></a></p>
<p>The earliest chess reference I could find in any language was 1868 - <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/ABC_des_%C3%89checs_ou_introduction_%C3%A0_l_%C3%A9t/dNdhAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;dq=%22tabiya%22&amp;pg=RA1-PA135&amp;printsec=frontcover" rel="noreferrer">ABC des Échecs, ou introduction à l'étude de la stratégie raisonnée des echecs</a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/fa3zp.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/fa3zp.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
