HISTORY OF CHESS

It was played many centuries ago in India, China and Persia. The origin of chess is not well known. Series of invasions caused chess to quickly spread throughout Europe. Europeans were the ones that gave the name to the chess pieces, reflected the way they lived. The names represented how ordinary people and ranked officials lived.

The pawns on the chessboard represented laborers. They are in larger numbers than any other pieces. In the medieval times, serfs were considered no more than landowners. Their life was brutal, they worked very hard but died so young.

The castle piece on a chessboard represents the home or refuge. On the chessboard, you can see a castle each on both sides. This piece is also called rooks.

The soldiers of the medieval time are represented by the knights. Their job was to protect the persons of rank. There are also two pieces, one on each side of the chessboard. The knight is less important than the Bishop, King and Queen.

There is a Bishop in the game of chess which represents the Church. In the medieval time, the Church was a rich and mighty source. Bishop was the title given to the priest in the Catholic Church.

The Queen, which is the only piece that represents a woman and is the most powerful piece in the chessboard. The King was often guided by her advice. In the medieval times Queen held a powerful yet a precarious position.

The King, is the tallest piece on the chessboard. During the medieval times, the surrender of the King means the loss of the kingdom to the invading armies. It is the responsibility of all the pieces, starting from the pawns to the highest ranking officials to protect the King.

"If you do not protect the King, you lose the game".