The game Of Chess

[iskander_32]

A year a go,I bought a beautiful marble Chess set with the characters of Alecander and the Persians depicted.Although chess is a game of warefare and strategy, I cant help realising that the game does not represent our king at all.The king is of little use and is the piece to be gaurded and protected,with the queen been the most powerful piece on the board.Only trivial but just a thought .regardskenny

[marcus]

That's a good point Kenny.I'm tempted to make a quip about Alexander being a gay icon, and being better represented on the chess board by the queen...Marcus

[Linda]

oo - get you.I wonder why that idea in chess developed? Was it modelled on some passive king with a fierce wife, or what?L

[jona]

Wasn't the queen originally the powerful vizier? I seem to remember something like this, but can't find it again.Jona

[marcus]

Here's some idle speculation (I should really be doing some work, but what the heck) ...In the medieval period (in Europe), although a king was still expected to be a warrior, the Dark Age/early medieval idea that a king was the 'greatest' warrior, and always fought in the front line (even though it didn't always happen like that) was diluted. The king might act as the strategist, of course, but was less likely to get into the thick of things.As often as not the aristocratic women were powerful players - not necessarily of their own volition (excepting Eleanor of Aquitaine and others like her) - but many a conflict was averted by a diplomatic marriage (pace Philip II!). So the queen on the chessboard has greater power for movement and for doing away with threats ... but at the same time is more expendable.All the bestMarcus

[nick]

Hi Companions -(I'm back from my holidays.)I always understood that the modern word "Chess" developed from the Iranian word "Shah" (or: king). As far as I know, the origins of the game are Persian.I have argued before, I think six months ago, that I see in the game of Chess the perfect allegory (certainly not of Alexander's army) but of a Persian army --- or a Persian Royal household.The king, in Chess, just like Darius on the battlefield, has one sole objective: to survive.The Tower, Bishop & Horse in my view perfectly represent the mighty satraps (like Mazeus, Bessus et al.) who have a difficult, almost impossible double job: to protect their king and in the same time eliminate the enemy king.The pawns represent anonymous the masses of levies in the army.I do not have any problems accepting the Queen as representing the original, mighty Persian Queens like Atossa etcetera, who played a very active role in politics and, by the words of Herodotus, were the "power behind the throne".Regards -
Nick

[Nax]

Good point Nick- maybe everyones looking at the game
with western views intact, making one heck of a blind spot, as pointed out before

[Nax]

yeah, and comments like this get so tiresome. Give it a rest

[Farhad]

Hello,Chess in persian is called SHATRANJ ( and in indian SHATRANGA). So I don't know much about the connection between Chess and Shah.
It is generally believed that Chess originated in india and wrongly so. The following site (The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies at the University of London) dismantle this argumentation. see at:
http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Sport/chess.htmFarhad

[amyntoros]

I'm not about to debate the origins of chess (as I have no proof either way) but a site that claims the game had an Indian origin also says that "The chariot or "ra-tha" was considered a powerful weapon. It turned into our rook and was the most powerful piece, until the reform of the queen moves appears during the 15th century in Spain." Was there, perhaps, a particularly powerful Queen who reigned during this period?Also, according to this site, the Bishop was originally an elephant, and it uses Porus as an illustration. Unfortunately, the writer appends the word "mythical" to Porus's elephant of war!
http://www.chessbase.com/columns/column.asp?pid=166By the way, I read online that they found a chess set along with the 35 kg of golden jewelry during the excavations of Kampyr-Tepe in Southern Afghanistan (founded around 300 BC). I think this must be part of the "Golden hoard of Bactria" though the National Geographic calls the town Tillya Tepe. The hoard has recently been recovered safe and sound, but I doubt it will be photographed again. Pity, because it would be interesting to see the chess pieces.Best regards,Linda Ann

[marcus]

Well, Isabella was a queen of Spain in 1492, when Granada was finally liberated from the Moors. As she always had equal billing with Ferdinand (and was probably more active, at least as far as crusading was concerned) that might be the link.All the bestMarcus

[ruthaki]

I have done some research on the board games played in Alexander's time. Here's something about a game called "War of the Shahs" which was played on a board of ebony and ivory with ornate game pieces. The pieces are the Shah and his generals ; 2 elephants, 2 horsemen, 2 'rukki' warriors, 8 'peyadih' foot soldiers made of gem encrusted gold and 16 pieces of silever (or also made of precelein, jade, pure crystal and rare wood). I have also some info about other board games of the time. But I must go through my notes. ruthaki