History and Chess- unique experience in Marostica
Chess is the oldest skill game in the world.
It has been played during centuries reflecting somehow the way people lived. The game itself changed during this long period of time. Some are bold to say that some changes in the world has been inspired by the game. In the 18th century a famous chess player called Philidor declared that ‘’The pawns are the soul of the chess’’. Few years later the French Revolution happened. Coincidence?
There are many similarities between chess and war strategy, for example the principle observing that an attack from the centre should be respond by an attack from the sides. Simulation strategies and the knowing of the operational set described by Sun Tzu in the Art of War, can be perfectly matched with the features of the game.
Not only war and politics but also art is reflected in this magic and mysterious game. In the 19th was played the so called Romantic Chess. It was full of emotion, sacrifices in search for beauty as the supreme goal beyond the result, a romantic conception of life.
What if we go even further back in time? If you look at the way a chess board is set up, you will realize that chess is a history of medieval times in miniature. The different chess pieces on the board symbolize a picture of medieval life with its many ceremonies, grandeur, and wars.
No one really knows for sure in which country it originated, or when.
Many centuries ago chess was played in China, India, and Persia In the eighth century, armies of Arabs known as Moors invaded Persia. The Moors learned chess from the Persians, later invaded Spain, the soldiers brought the game of chess with them. And so the Spanish were playing chess, too. From Spain, chess quickly spread throughout all of Europe.
The pawns on the chess board represent serfs. There are more of them than any other piece on the board, and often they are sacrificed to save the more valuable pieces.
In medieval times, serfs were considered no more than property of landowners. Life was brutally hard for serfs during this era of history. They worked hard and died young. They were often left unprotected while wars raged around them. They could be traded, used as a diversion, or even sacrificed to allow the landowners to escape harm.
The castle piece on a chess board is the home, or the refuge, just as it was a home in medieval times. In chess, each side has two castles, or rooks, as they are sometimes called.
The knight on a chess board represents the professional soldier of medieval times whose job it was to protect persons of rank. Knights in a game of chess are more important than pawns, but less important than bishops, kings, or queens.
The bishop in the game represents the church. The church was a rich and mighty force in medieval times, and religion played a large part in every person’s life. It is no wonder that a figure that represented the concept of religion found its way into the game. A bishop was the name for a priest in the Catholic church who had risen through the ranks to a more powerful position..
The queen is the only piece on the board that represents a woman, and she is the most powerful piece of the game! Many people do not realize that queens in medieval times often held a powerful, position. The king was often guided by her advice, and in many cases the queen played games of intrigue at court..
The king is the tallest piece on the board, and is as well defended on the chessboard as in medieval life. In medieval times, the surrender of the king would mean the loss of the kingdom to invading armies and that could mean change for the worse. The king is the most important, but not the most powerful piece in chess. If you do not protect your king, you lose the game.
If you visit Italy on the second weekend of September in even-numbered years, the little town of Marostica comes alive with the unique spectacle of a life-size chess game played out in the central square. The games are reconstructions of various historical world championship games, and are played out by authentically-costumed participants on an enormous chessboard, accompanied by fireworks, music and performances which complement the action.
Something to add to the list of mysterious cases and chess. The legend Robert James Fischer died unexpectedly during a regular health check at the age of 64. The exact number of squares in the board…
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