Friday, June 11, 2010

Coming To Terms With Chess by David Powers

Over the past 1500 years, the board game chess underwent many modifications prior to ultimately becoming the game we recognize today. To some, chess is an uninteresting past time. Yet to chess enthusiasts, the game is a source of excitement. You will not see them tire from the game at all!  To understand their enthusiasm, you’ve got to understand how chess works.

The History of Chess

Many historians speculate Persia to be the venue of the first chess game ever. Moreover, chess during that time was intended to hone the army’s strategic battling skills. The medieval Europeans fancied the game that it grew very popular. Everyone from the royal family all the way down to the lowliest of peasants knew how chess was played. It is believed that it was in Europe that chess evolved from a battle plan and into a game of strategy and intelligence.

Chess Board Set-Up: Crucial and Proper

Technically, any chess tournament cannot start without the proper board setup. The tiniest details count. There is even a rule documented in the “Laws of Chess' that explains that before two players can engage in play, the board needs to be positioned in such a manner that the bottom right square is white, and that it should be the same for either player.

The Game Pieces

Generally, the game pieces symbolize the European hierarchy. For example, pawns reflect accurately how peasants were viewed before: dispensable. In the game, your pawns are more than commoners. They function as your front men. Then, there are the rooks. The rooks represent home or sanctuary. After the rooks, come the knights. Did you know that they were the royal family’s special soldiers during the middle ages? Above all is the most influential piece, the queen. Even though the queen is the most feared game piece, the king is the one that needs protecting at all times. If the king is seized, the game is through.

Proper arrangement is highly essential to chess. When the pieces are positioned properly, the order of the white King and Queen should be reversed from the black King and Queen. The pawns line up in front of the royals. The white team, for instance, will observe the following sequence: first rook, first knight, first bishop, the queen, the king, second bishop, second knight, second rook.

There is an unspoken rule that the game can’t begin unless you set up all the chess pieces correctly. This shows that you respect the game and your rival.

Today, with the advent of online chess playing rooms, chess once more is gaining a slow but sure following.


The author is the owner of WoodChessSetsPlus.com, a unique site where you can purchase a wide variety of chess products including folding wood chess sets.

No comments:

Post a Comment