Chess pieces names changed4/18/2024 ![]() In 1834, the first great match, the precursor of sorts of the world championship, was played in London between Louis-Charles Mahe de La Bourdonnais of France and Alexander Macdonnel of Ireland. In the first half of the 19 th century, chess’ popularity soared that formal contests between the best players of the European countries began to be arranged. ![]() By the late 18 th century, chess was being played in the nooks and cafes of the continent. The Isle of Lewis set found in Scotland in 1831, now housed in the British Museum.Ĭhess was enjoyed in Europe over the next three centuries, and it devolved from being the favorite pastime of the royalty and the aristocracy to the game of the common man. They are the most intricate representations of the royalty (King and Queen) and other essential personalities (Knight and Bishop and Pawn) of the high Middle Ages. Made from walrus ivory and whale teeth, they are clearly Nordic, likely originating from either Norway or Iceland. These pieces found in the Isle of Lewis in Scotland in 1831 date to about the 12 th century. The most quintessential medieval set, which also happens to be the most beautiful extant chess pieces in the opinion of many, are the Isle of Lewis pieces. The result was that chess became faster and more thrilling, and by the 16 th century it had become the game that is played today. They introduced the concept of castling and En passant, extended the reach of the Bishop, and gave the Queen far greater powers than the Wazir ever had. Just as importantly, Europeans enhanced the rules of chess. What was the Minister or the Wazir of Arabic chess was made the Queen, and what was the Pil or the Elephant, an animal native only to Asia and Africa, was made the Bishop. Not all pieces, however, had their counterpart, as European and Islamic societies were altogether unlike culturally. Chess had reached mainland Europe through the backdoor.Įuropeans embraced the game and replaced all its pieces with their western medieval equivalents. ![]() The Muslims brought it to North Africa, and then to Spain via the Iberian Peninsula. It was in its journey west, however, that chess would be transformed significantly. It reached Japan and China where it developed into variants such as shogi, go, and xianggi. With the flourishing of inter-continental trade and the Arabs’ expanding expire, chess was flung into all corners of Asia and Europe. The pieces are very abstract, as Islam prohibits the production of life-like figures. Pieces of Shatranj, the Islamic version of chess that evolved from the Persian game, chatrang. Arabic sets are said to have made the game very popular, as it made the production of sets very easy. They are generally made of stones and clay instead of ivory. Arabic pieces are abstract, but follow the general shape and size proportion of their Indian and Persian counterparts. In Moslem hands the pieces lost their detail and character as Islam forbids and takes the production of life-like figures as idolatry. Persia came to be conquered by the Muslims, who then called the game by its Arabic name, shatranj. The left piece is probably the Elephant (Pil), while the right one is the Horse (Ashva). ![]() As every chess player knows, checkmate means “Shah mat,” the Persian expression that the king is dead.Ĭhatrang ivory pieces from about 760 AD found in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Chaturangas’s Raja became the Shah, the Mantri became the Wazir, the Gajah became the Pil, the Ashva became the Asp, the Ratha became the Rokh, and the Padati became the Piadeh. Chaturanga refers to a battle formation of olden India’s army, and the game, like present-day chess, was played with six pieces of differing powers, namely: the Raja (King), the Mantri (Minister), the Gajah (War Elephant), the Ashva (Horse), the Ratha (Chariot), and the Padati (Footsoldier).Ĭhaturanga spread to Persia where it became known as chatrang, and there the pieces took different names. Scholars believe that it is a derivative of an ancient Indian game called chaturanga, which was flourishing in northern India by the 7th century. What they once were, and how they have come to be the inspiring figures we play with today, after all, is the story of chess itself.Ĭhess did indeed start as the war game that it is. These pieces impress us in more ways than one, and whether they move us artistically or whet our longing to know more about the societies where chess took root, it is worth knowing their development over a thousand years. They hearken to an old world with all its warfare and social hierarchy, and stir the imagination of their real-life equivalents and the battles they took part in. Far from being just beautiful figures of many shapes and sizes, they are really symbols. Chess pieces have always been very alluring, quite apart from the game itself.
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