One of Marilyn Yalom’s greatest arguments in the Birth of the Chess Queen, is the pan-European language that Chess came to embody. \u00a0She speaks of a lonely princess, forced to marry a prince of another land, passing her loneliest hours with a chess board. \u00a0The language of chess allowed her to communicate through the game; when she could not do it with words. \u00a0The power of this story really speaks to the importance that chess held in Middle Age Europe, a continent otherwise greatly divided through language and cultural differences. \u00a0The rules of the game were widely understood, with the largest variant between countries being the names attributed to the pieces and the respective representations used to depict them. \u00a0One could easily recognize a chess board and the prevailing rules that partner it,\u00a0regardless of the names and design of the pieces. \u00a0In this respect as the princesses story reflects, a Spaniard \u00a0could play with Russian, with no need to explain the rules. \u00a0The game was equally enjoyed by all of the dominate European religions of the time. \u00a0A Christian would play with a Jew, who would play with a Muslim, especially\u00a0during the Moorish regime of southern Spain. \u00a0Chess held no class distinction, commoners played as much as the aristocracy. \u00a0In most European countries the aristocracy popularized chess and then the game descended the social ladder, to become a game of all men, but in other countries like Russia it permeated through the masses almost simultaneously.\u00a0\u00a0 Chess latched on and became a crucial part of European culture, as a whole and in each respective country. The game, as in the example of the Norsemen, usurped local games, eventually becoming the most popular game in the land. The leader of the Norseman cited the importance of having skill in chess, as a way of surviving on the European continent. Thus in many countries, chess became a part of school for both boys and girls, and was seen as an essential part of being a well-round lady and gentlemen. The way in which European societies viewed the game seemed to be similar as well. \u00a0especially in connection to the Cult of Love, or the infatuation with beautiful women. \u00a0Almost all Europeans, regardless of cultural, particularly religious background, allowed women to play chess with their male counter-parts. \u00a0These matches\u00a0were viewed with a romantic eye, two suitors in the battle of love. In a time when the male and female relationship was viewed very traditionally, chess allowed women to participate in what before would have been viewed as the men’s work. \u00a0The popularity of chess throughout Europe allowed for a greater connection socially and culturally between people who at the time were only connected through war, politics, and economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of Marilyn Yalom’s greatest arguments in the Birth of the Chess Queen, is the pan-European language that Chess came to embody. \u00a0She speaks of a lonely princess, forced to marry a prince of another land, passing her loneliest hours with a chess board. \u00a0The language of chess allowed her to communicate through the game;…<\/p>\n