#Chess setup king and queen series#

The recent theory suggests that the increase in the queen's power was inspired by Queen Isabella of Castile, a powerful monarch whose reign was roughly contemporary with the increase in power of the chess queen. On the how and why behind these changes is a recently published theory, and my own. The queen and bishop gained their stronger powers in the late 1400s, suddenly. It's value was roughly equivalent to a pawn. Movement was limited to only two squares diagonally - no more, no less - meaning each bishop could reach only 8 of the 64 squares. Ironically, despite its lack of such armored bishops, England established the bishop on the board, while France and Germany chose other terminology: respectively, the two regions preferred 'fool' and 'courier.' Despite the disparate nomenclature, however, the bishop's evolution was the same, retaining the weak powers of its preceding elephant piece. Richard of Cornwell, in 1257, mourned that England had no such ‘warlike and mettlesome bishops.’” and took on the feudal tasks of military service … Bishops or abbots accoutered with armor and lance became a frequent sight in Germany and France. “So enmeshed in the feudal web, the Church found herself a political, economic, and military, as well as a religious institution.with feudal rights and obligations … Archbishops, bishops, and abbots received investiture from the king, pledged their fealty to him like other feudatories. In his book The Age of Faith, Will Durant provides the following descriptions of the feudal church: In feudal society, bishops often had political power and were part of the medieval nobility. And while the idea of a warrior bishop was not universal, having a bishop in the chess army might have seemed more natural in medieval times than it does in modern consideration.

The animal was not well-known in the Western world at that time, and the elephant piece was phased out and replaced by a more-familiar figure. Queen from first half of twelfth century, Southern Italy, ivory.īishops had entered chess by the mid-1200s, replacing an earlier piece that had represented an elephant. The sudden increase in the queen's powers did not occur for centuries after the piece had appeared in chess sets. This limitation to reach just 32 squares and slowly, the queen piece was weaker than kings, knights, and rooks – all of which had the same moves and abilities as they do today. Empresses, like Theophanu, accompanied their men to the battlefield.'īut the first chess queens, like the minister piece that preceded them, were limited to moving only diagonally and only one square at a time. 'Medieval queens were expected to wage war, at least by proxy. The author Nancy Marie Brown notes several 10th-century queens who may have inspired the appearance of a fighting queen on the chess board, stating: The 2015 book Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them is an intriguing treatment on the potential origins of the Isle of Lewis chessmen, and discusses various historical factors surrounding the famous 12th century chess set. This ivory bearded Vizier is from Southern Italy, around the end of the eleventh century. The piece that would become a Queen was the Vizier, a male. Players in those times may have been more accustomed to the idea of a fighting queen, as various lands held several strong queens who sometimes managed troops and military matters. The queen was a medieval addition to the chess board and had entered the game as early as 997, replacing a piece that represented a king’s minister. The history of Western society suggests some answers. Questions are invariably asked on how the queen became chess’ strongest warrior, and how bishops, in modern times considered officers of peace, became soldiers in the chess army.

#Chess setup king and queen series#

This series will explore some specific rule changes for chess that have evolved over the past few centuries.Ĭlick below for earlier chapters of John McCrary's Evolution of Modern Chess Rules series:

Through research into old chess literature, I've made some original discoveries regarding how modern rules and customs have evolved to reach their current state. Inventions are steps in evolution.Ĭhess rules and customs, even today, are constantly evolving. Part of the discussion is semantic, since evolution and invention are two sides of the same coin! Evolution is a series of new inventions that build upon or combine earlier designs. The question of whether chess was invented or evolved from earlier games may never be settled. Former US Chess Federation President John McCrary