Chess – Not Just A Game
The beautiful game of Chess
The game of chess is one that crosses the boundaries of age and culture, appealing to people from different walks of life the world over.
More than just a game, chess is a representation of medieval life played out on a board, with each piece a member of the hierarchy of society that existed in the dark ages.
Take the humble pawn, the most numerous piece on the board; he is the worker, the labourer, the bottom of the chain of society. It is notable that the pawn is used as a deliberate sacrifice during a game, this further significant of his lowly standing on the social ladder.
What of the castle, the piece that bookends the back row in a game of chess? The castle is what it says, a place of sanctuary, this played out in the tactical move of ‘castling’, in which the two are utilised to protect the king.
Then we have the knights, the soldiers of the chessboard. The knight is employed to fight for his king, and to die for him if the need should be. This is the same on the chessboard as it was in life, with the knight often sacrificed – like the pawn – to save the more vital pieces on the board.
The church, in medieval times, was a powerful influence on society and life, and so it is in the game of chess where the bishop has an important role to play. The bishop ranks high as these were a God-fearing people, and his word was considered that of the Almighty himself.
There is only one female figure in the chess society, and this is representative of the way of life depicted. In history, the queen was often a very powerful figure indeed, one whose counsel was sought by the king. The king had the power to do away with one queen and engage another, and such was her reliance on his whim that she needed to consider her options carefully. History is littered with queens who worked both for, and against, the king, and this is represented in the game by her ability to move freely and at will, more so than any other player.
And what of the king himself? Unable to move more than a space at a time, the kink is protected, rather than the protector, exactly as he would have been in times of yore; the capture of your king would mean the downfall of your nation. In chess, the capture of the king is the end of the game.
Chess is not just a game; as a microcosm of medieval life it brings to the players strategical options of indeterminable numbers, while sticking to the twin objectives that will win you the game – protecting the head of your nation, while seeking to capture the opposing king. Chess is a game that captivates now, just as it did centuries ago when the world it represents was the world outside the castle walls.
