Chess Sets - How the Middle Ages Influenced Game
Chess is game that has survived several centuries, cultures, invasions and changes. The current chess set is the influence of no less than 4 cultures and 3 religions. The most recent influences come from European Middle Ages and Christianity, after invading Moors brought the chess set and chess to Europe through its invasion of Spain.
The pieces of a chess set are very obviously the representation of feudal Europe on the centuries old chess game. Starting at the bottom and going up, the chess pieces are the Pawn, Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen and King.
The pawn is a representation of the serf. Very limited in mobility and very limited in opportunity, the serf was at the mercy of his own king. He would be drawn into military service and, like in chess, would be the first to encounter the enemy in an attack.
The next is the rook. The design on the chess set is very similar to the castle of real-life. Like real-life, the rook is designed to protect the King. On the chess set, there is a common move referred to as ‘Castling’ that allows a King and Rook to trade places for defensive purposes.
The Knight was a battle leader that could both defend and attack as needed. The Knight was able to lead serfs in battle. Like in the Middle Ages, the Knight would lead the battle. On the chess board, the Knight is the only pieces, other than the pawn, that can begin the game with the first move.
The next layer of protection for the King is the Bishop. This piece is the most influenced by the prominence of Christianity. In a kingdom, an often-political ally of the King was the Bishop, being able to provide the religious guidance for the King as well as strategic guidance. The Bishop was a leader that was able to press for the rights of the Kingdom that he was part of, with more influence than the majority of a Kings court.
The next piece is the Queen. Unlike other areas of the world where the Queen was less powerful, when chess made its way into European dominance, Queen changed from a pieces that could move 1 square at a time, to a piece that could move the length of the board in any direction – a most serious promotion of power. Also, when a pawn was able to make its way to the other end of a chess board, the pawn is promoted to the rank of Queen. The Queen has been given so much power because she was capable and at time called to, run a kingdom.
Finally there is the King. The entire object of chess is to capture your opponents King, similar to real-life on any continent. Without a King, the kingdom falls, and the chess game ends. Like in chess, the King is never expected to leave the safety of the castle.
While there have been many influences on the game of chess, the current chess set that is popular the world over can’t help but be compared to life during the middle ages, and understood how a era burned its imprint on to the classic chess set we know today.
