The Unique History of Chess Pieces






Chess pieces are not only the rankandfile of a chess game,
but they are also the heart and soul of the chess game experience. There is a
piece of history behind every piece on the chess board.







Chess pieces are not only the rankandfile of a chess game,
but they are also the heart and soul of the chess game experience. Chess pieces with matching or unique
movement qualities completing their intended purpose make for a sharp strategic
ballet with nearly limitless possibilities of progression.



Pierre Mac Orlan, famous 20th century French
writer and poet, once said, There are more adventures on a chessboard than on
all the seas of the world. In fact,
there are approximately 1040 possible legal chess piece positions. Now consider an average chess piece position
can possess as much as 218 movement possibilities. The resulting number of game play options
rockets to a figure that only International Grandmasters like Garry Kasparov
and supercomputers such as Deep Blue are able to even begin to grasp.



Sounds daunting, but if the history and purpose of chess
pieces are understood, this infinitely varied environment can be experienced
and enjoyed to its fullest.



Modern regulation chess sets have a total of 32 chess pieces
divided evenly between two players. Each
players force of chess pieces consists of 2 Rooks Castles, 2 Bishops, 2
Knights, 1 King, 1 Queen and 8 pawns.
And their particular histories are as follows



  • King
    The King has always been royalty among chess pieces and if popularly
    recognized lineage were to be believed, began as the Raja. Like most royalty, the King has
    always been primarily an object of protection rather than one of attack. Therefore, it has limited but dexterous
    movement capabilities.




  • Queen
    The Queen is a creature of great change in the world of chess
    pieces. What began as a Mantri, or
    counselor, was as incapable of longreaching moves as the King, but
    equally dexterous. Now that modern
    chess has reduced the number of battling armies of chess pieces and
    players behind them, from four to two, that familiar 64 square board that
    Chaturanga was born on, opened up, allowing the General, as the Queen was
    also known, to assume an equally powerful offensive role in modern play.




  • Bishop
    The Bishop we know today started with a severely circumscribed movement
    capability, although it possess the modern Knights ability to leap to its
    destination. The Bishop, or Gaja as
    it was once known, has lost its vertical capability but its diagonal
    travel equals that of the modern Queen.
    This movement modification has made the Bishop a decisive tool of
    play from middlegame onwards.




  • Knight
    The Knight has remained the same in its shape and movement capabilities
    since it was first known as an Ashva, or Horse. The Ashva was intended to act as a
    mounted division. The Knights
    power lays in its flanking ability, so it shouldnt typically lead the
    charge.




  • Rook
    Was initially known as the Chariot and played like a heavy infantry division. The Rook has powerful linear movement
    capabilities, but is susceptible to diagonal attack. Therefore the Ratha, as the Rook was
    formally known, was used primarily for defense andor pinning down
    opponents chess pieces.




  • Pawn
    To the ill informed, the pawn, or foot infantry, was the most expendable
    of all chess pieces. As Paul Keres,
    Estonias
    chess grandmaster, once said, The older I grow, the more I appreciate my
    Pawns. Pawns, or Pedati as they
    were once known, form your line of approach, defining your offensive game
    play strategy and your defensive options.
    Pawns can also be instrumental in your endgame strategy, so avoid
    sacrificing your Pawn chess pieces when opening. Treat your Pawns with respect for as the
    Irish saying goes, When the chess game is over, the pawn and the king go
    back to the same box.




With this kind of history, it is easy to understand why the
designs of chess pieces vary as they do.
In conforming to each societys idea of strategic conflict has created a
world of design options for the avid chess player.



You can very easily find a plethora of chess piece designs
over the Internet. There are large
selections of chess sets and styles to choose from.














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