Chess: A Game of Kings; For Kings and Their Kin

     The classic game of chess is one that has tested players’ strategic planning over a lengthy period of time for years and throughout various cultures.  There are some variations of the game, such as the Japanese shougi or the Chinese shang chi, but the European version is the most predominate version of the game, and the one played in the states.
     While chess today is generally played for recreational purposes with some players evolving their game into a professional level; during the European medieval era, the game was considered one of the activities that defined nobility and royalty, along side activities like hunting, riding, and the arts.  In fact, it was defined to such an extent that the elite class were expected to be skilled in the art of chess, and were considered important enough to be a part of a noble’s upbringing to be a part of their education.  Some of the courts even made particularly detailed manuscripts over the game, such as Libros de ajedrez from the Castile of Alfonso the Tenth. 
     Chess has also been used in a variety of stories as a story telling mechanic, or occasionally as a metaphor.  The Islamic have a story, where a man’s beloved, Dilaram, is played as an ante during a game of chess.  In it, Dilaram strongly suggests her lover to use a play which sacrifices his rooks to protect his king, which eventually allows him to win the game.  The importance of this story is two fold: one is that this story lead to the creation of a specific Islamic chess strategy named the “Dilaram Strategy”; the second is that it Dilaram, the female who’s fate is determined by the outcome of the match, who creates the strategy and how it is named after her, and not the one who was actually playing. 
     A couple of interesting cultural differences between chess are the shapes of the pieces.  For example, the Russian version of the game have their pawns in the shape like matryoshka dolls, and their rooks have a cone top, instead of the usual jagged tops in traditional versions.  The Latin American version differentiates the two sides beyond colors, making one side the conquistadoras, while the other side’s pieces are based on indigenous tribes of Central America, and have llamas to represent the knight piece.
     Chess is a game that is rich with historical and cultural significances.  It is also a game that challenges the minds of those who play it, and has been used as a powerful literary device in many occasions.  It is amazing that a game like this has endured throughout the ages, and has much to teach for those who start digging beneath the surface.

Sources:

“Chess and Courtly Culture in Medieval Castile: The Libro de ajedrez of Alfonso X, el
     Sabio”. Constable, Olivia Remie. Speculum. Vol. 82 Iss. 2 pp 301-347.

“Chess Sets” Elliot Averdon Virtual Museum of Games. University of Waterloo. Aug 30 2010.
     http://www.gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca/VirtualExhibits/chess/index.html