There's a story behind the chess pieces we play.
The king is the main figure in the game of chess. Although it holds a vital role in the game, its weakness as a a game piece proves to be its fatal flaw. Patterned by the old Indians who invented the game on their Indian emperors, the game piece reflected the trait of their emperor: wise to lead but weak in war because their emperors were not warriors. When the king is captured, his kingdom falls. That is why the main objective to win the game of chess is to capture the king.
Did you know that the figure of the queen started off as a man? This figure was the king's adviser, a concept that goes back to the old Persians. The adviser, "Firzan", is capable of moving diagonally and served to protect the king. Europeans called the figure "Fers", deriving it from "Firzan". And because they didn't know the meaning of "Fers", they interpreted the figure as a queen since it is often found standing beside the king.
The rook figure was carved like a war carriage. It was called "rukh" by the old Indians and it represents the war carriages the old Indian armies had in the early 5th century. "Rukh" became "rook" when the Europeans began playing the game. A description of the rook was published in a poem by Bishop Vida of Albay in 1527. It was a fortified defense atop an elephant's back. The fortified defense was what was retained to simplify the chess piece.
The bishop's figure was an armed attendant on the back of an elephant. Arabs called it "al-fil" or "elephant". But at that time in Central Europe, elephants were not known, so they could not recognize the figure. They left out the elephant and maintained the armed attendant as a representation of the bishop.
One of the chess pieces which did not change very much is the knight. His special move was already there. The figure was depicted by the Indians as a mounted fighter armed with a sword and a shield. In time, carved knights on horses came out. Now, what is left of the chess piece is the horse figure.
The pawn is also known as the soldier. During the medieval times, each pawn had a designation: a farmer, a horse groomer, a spinner, a seller, a doctor, an innkeeper, a police and a gambler. These designations were eventually forgotten in time for these chess pieces.
The king is the main figure in the game of chess. Although it holds a vital role in the game, its weakness as a a game piece proves to be its fatal flaw. Patterned by the old Indians who invented the game on their Indian emperors, the game piece reflected the trait of their emperor: wise to lead but weak in war because their emperors were not warriors. When the king is captured, his kingdom falls. That is why the main objective to win the game of chess is to capture the king.
Did you know that the figure of the queen started off as a man? This figure was the king's adviser, a concept that goes back to the old Persians. The adviser, "Firzan", is capable of moving diagonally and served to protect the king. Europeans called the figure "Fers", deriving it from "Firzan". And because they didn't know the meaning of "Fers", they interpreted the figure as a queen since it is often found standing beside the king.
The rook figure was carved like a war carriage. It was called "rukh" by the old Indians and it represents the war carriages the old Indian armies had in the early 5th century. "Rukh" became "rook" when the Europeans began playing the game. A description of the rook was published in a poem by Bishop Vida of Albay in 1527. It was a fortified defense atop an elephant's back. The fortified defense was what was retained to simplify the chess piece.
The bishop's figure was an armed attendant on the back of an elephant. Arabs called it "al-fil" or "elephant". But at that time in Central Europe, elephants were not known, so they could not recognize the figure. They left out the elephant and maintained the armed attendant as a representation of the bishop.
One of the chess pieces which did not change very much is the knight. His special move was already there. The figure was depicted by the Indians as a mounted fighter armed with a sword and a shield. In time, carved knights on horses came out. Now, what is left of the chess piece is the horse figure.
The pawn is also known as the soldier. During the medieval times, each pawn had a designation: a farmer, a horse groomer, a spinner, a seller, a doctor, an innkeeper, a police and a gambler. These designations were eventually forgotten in time for these chess pieces.
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