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The game of chess has been around a very long time.  The earliest written record of chess found dates back to before 600 AD, and evidence of chess pieces have been discovered by archeologists in various locations from that time period forward.   The original game of chess was called Chatarung.

Historians believe that chess began in India and was brought to Europe via trade-routes into Italy and Spain.  Chess was further disseminated throughout Europe by the Vikings.  During this time, the rules of chess were changed by each culture that inherited the game, and it wasn’t until the middle of the first millennium that the game of chess we play today was well-known throughout Europe.

Some of the changes made during this time included the creation of the Queen, changing the Queen to the strongest piece, and making the Bishop a more mobile piece.  Prior to these changes, chess games played in the middle ages were laboriously slow.  These changes sped up play and made challenging the opponent much more entertaining.  Other changes made to speed play during this time period including giving pawns the ability to move two spaces forward on their first move, and the creation of the castling move between a King and Rook.  In response to the two-space pawn move, another move was created—en passant.   The en passant move was created solely to keep the two-space move from allowing pawns too much power.

In addition to providing us with the rule set for the game we play today, the Europeans of the medieval period also provided the names and designs of the pieces.  Each piece on the board represents a part of life in the middle ages.  Clearly, the queen and king represent royalty.  The queen is the most powerful piece on the board, and the king is the most important.  During the middle ages, royal families were both supremely powerful and very important to life in their countries.

Knights represent the noble class of lord and ladies, while bishops represent the church.  During the middle ages, the church was a powerful and driving force, and the bishop is a very powerful piece.  Rooks obviously represent castles – the primary living quarters and refuge of many people during these times.  Finally, there are the pawns.  The lowly peasants, easily sacrificed for the greater good of the game.  Of course, when the pawn’s rise up, they can become the most powerful player on the board.  Perhaps this is a coincidence, or perhaps it is a comment on the ability of the peasants to control their fate in numbers…