Chess, this exciting game of strategy and skills and originated in India, spans some 1500 years back in history. In the 6Th century AD it spread to Persia. While the Arabians took over Persia, chess had been taken up by the Muslim's world and from there it reached Europe. In Europe, during the 15Th century chess was developed towards its present form and rules. Back in the 1800's competitive chess became more and more noticeable. Throughout the 19th century, modern tournament play began and the very first world chess championship was scheduled in 1886. Throughout the time of the 20Th century the chess theory and the World Chess Federation (FIDE) was founded. The very first chess tournament event was held in the Great Britain, in London and surprisingly it was won by Adolf Anderssen, a player from Germany. Since the end of the 19th century the amount of annually held professional tournaments and competitions grew very fast. If you look closely at a chess board it can teach you the way the people lived in middle age times. Look at the method by which it is set up. After that review of the figures and the way they are used, you will soon recognize that chess is a historical past of medieval times - just in miniature.
The Europeans gave chess pieces the actual names we use them today, simply because this mirrored the way they were living. A thousand years ago they displayed the very way in which both, typical people and persons of rank were living their lives.
The Pawns on the board symbolize serfs, or simple the hard working lower folks. Presently there are a lot more of them on the board, compared to any other piece on the board and usually they are sacrificed to save the much more valuable pieces. In medieval times, serfs were considered to be no more than property of landowners, or chattel. They were mostly left unprotected even though battles were ongoing all around them.
The castle is the next piece or figure on the board. The castle piece is the home, or the refuge, just as it was a refuge in medieval times. In chess, both sides have 2 castles, or rooks, as they are sometimes called too.
The Knight on a chess board represents the professional warrior of the middle age, whose job it was to shield and guard persons of status. There are also two of them per each side in a game of chess. Knights are more important than pawns, but less important than bishops, kings, or the queens. They may be sacrificed to save all those important pieces basically comparable as pawns.
The Bishop, another and an important piece of the game, stands as the symbol of the church. The church was a rich and mighty force in middle ages and religion played a big role in every person's life. Bishop is the name for a priest in the Catholic church which had considerably increased through the rankings to a much more powerful position. In chess, there are 2 bishops for every side.
Now let's talk about the Queens. The queen is the exclusively figure in this game, that presents a woman and the queen stands out as the most powerful figure of the game with more flexibility than any other figure. In the game of chess, there is only one queen for each player and at the begin of the game it is positioned right next to the King. A lot of people do not know that queens in medieval times often held a strong status. The queens were working either for or against their kings. They are usually very well mentioned in history all through historic times and they used to have a lot more power than the king had.
The King is the tallest piece on the chess board and is as well defended on the chess board as it was in real medieval life. At that time, the fall of a king would definitely indicate the loss of the kingdom to invading enemies and that most likely would lead to a change for the worse. It was considered everyone duty, starting from the lowest serf to the highest ranking official, to keep the king safe and free from harm. The king is the most important, but not the most powerful piece in chess. If you do not protect your king, than for sure you will lose the game.
Nowadays, you will find many wonderful and decorative chess sets at affordable prices available, giving you even more fun and excitement playing this awesome game. They are available e.g. made of wood, glass, alabastrite, carved soap stone or marble, and are amazingly designed in details. To fit your personality you can select from different themes and this arrays from African Animal, Civil War, Chinese Warrior, World War II chess set or Fairy chess sets, to name a few only. Even if you are not a chess player yourself, a Themed Chess Set presented on a stand or side table will always be a great conversation subject. It will for sure add accent to any home or office and it for sure will make a great gift for someone else.
So now whenever you will set up your chess game and you are going to get in a battle with a friend or someone from your family, then try to remember of chess to be a lesson in history also. The pieces on the board represent a way of life as it was in the past, and the real life dramas that occurred in those medieval times are now only a game. Chess is not just a game, it also helps learning the past history, and so it is well worth to pass on to our children or our grandchildren. Have lots of joy and fun playing and at the same time being a part of history.
