Chess is a game of skill and the oldest of them all. Point to note though is that this is not only a skill game, it tells a story about life in the medieval times. By just taking a look at the set up, the pieces and how they are used in the game, you will find the answer to the question where did chess originate from. There are 6 different pieces and each is a representative of a medieval life cross section that had lots of grandeur, wars and ceremonies.
Many centuries ago this game was played in Persia, China and India. It is not known for certain where this game originated from. In the 18th century Persia was invaded by Arab armies called Moors who learnt how to play chess from the Persians. Later on the Moors also invaded Spain and brought the game with them and soon the Spanish people also started playing chess.
It is from Spain that the game quickly spread to the rest of the European countries. The names the pieces are referred to today were given by the European people maybe because they found it hard to spell or pronounce the Persian names. The pieces were therefore modernized as a way of reflecting the European way of life.
Definitely the names are no longer modern but they still represent the lives of ordinary people and those of rank who lived over a thousand years ago. Pawns are pieces that represent laborers or serfs on the board. They out number the other pieces and it is these pieces that are sacrificed to save the more valuable ones. Laborers were property of the landowners also called chattel.
For serfs life was definitely brutally hard in this era, they worked very hard and died very young. At times of war they would often be left unprotected, they would simply be used as diversion, traded or sacrificed allowing chattel to escape unharmed. Refuge or home was represented by the castle piece on the board. The game has two castles on each side and they are sometimes referred to as rooks.
On the board there is also a knight piece that represents a professional soldier during the medieval times whose job was simply to protect persons of rank. Each side of the board has two knight pieces which are of more importance than pawns but of less importance than queens, bishops or kings. The sole purpose of the knight is to protect the important pieces and just like pawns they can be sacrificed to save these pieces.
There was a mighty and rich force that came with the church in the ancient times and this is represented by the bishop on the board. Before priests became bishops they had to rise through the ranks within the Catholic Church. On the board there every side has two of these pieces. The queen is represented by the only female piece on the board and this piece holds the most power.
Though not many might know this, the queen held a precarious and powerful position in medieval times where her advice often guided the king. The tallest piece is the king and just like in medieval times its well defended on the board. If the king surrendered it meant the kingdom has lost to the invading army.
Surrendering was not an option because this made things even worse. For this reason everyone from the serf to the official that is most ranked protected the king by all means necessary. This is an attempt to answer the question where did chess originate from.
Many centuries ago this game was played in Persia, China and India. It is not known for certain where this game originated from. In the 18th century Persia was invaded by Arab armies called Moors who learnt how to play chess from the Persians. Later on the Moors also invaded Spain and brought the game with them and soon the Spanish people also started playing chess.
It is from Spain that the game quickly spread to the rest of the European countries. The names the pieces are referred to today were given by the European people maybe because they found it hard to spell or pronounce the Persian names. The pieces were therefore modernized as a way of reflecting the European way of life.
Definitely the names are no longer modern but they still represent the lives of ordinary people and those of rank who lived over a thousand years ago. Pawns are pieces that represent laborers or serfs on the board. They out number the other pieces and it is these pieces that are sacrificed to save the more valuable ones. Laborers were property of the landowners also called chattel.
For serfs life was definitely brutally hard in this era, they worked very hard and died very young. At times of war they would often be left unprotected, they would simply be used as diversion, traded or sacrificed allowing chattel to escape unharmed. Refuge or home was represented by the castle piece on the board. The game has two castles on each side and they are sometimes referred to as rooks.
On the board there is also a knight piece that represents a professional soldier during the medieval times whose job was simply to protect persons of rank. Each side of the board has two knight pieces which are of more importance than pawns but of less importance than queens, bishops or kings. The sole purpose of the knight is to protect the important pieces and just like pawns they can be sacrificed to save these pieces.
There was a mighty and rich force that came with the church in the ancient times and this is represented by the bishop on the board. Before priests became bishops they had to rise through the ranks within the Catholic Church. On the board there every side has two of these pieces. The queen is represented by the only female piece on the board and this piece holds the most power.
Though not many might know this, the queen held a precarious and powerful position in medieval times where her advice often guided the king. The tallest piece is the king and just like in medieval times its well defended on the board. If the king surrendered it meant the kingdom has lost to the invading army.
Surrendering was not an option because this made things even worse. For this reason everyone from the serf to the official that is most ranked protected the king by all means necessary. This is an attempt to answer the question where did chess originate from.
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