Medieval chess
In the 11th century a new trend appeared in medieval Europe - chess. A decent education of the nobility was unthinkable without this intellectual game. If you compare chess with other games, such as dice or tricycle, there was no money, material possessions, or even life at stake. So the game attracted not only the stronger sex, but the weaker sex as well. Legend has it that Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of England's Henry II, skillfully beat men on both sides of the Channel.
The subject of pride of each European aristocrat was a wooden or metal chessboard. The set of necessary figures on individual orders was created by the best masters of manual labour who made them of expensive materials laboriously. So chess was an expensive pleasure, and also an excellent occasion for demonstration of prosperity, intelligence and beauty of an interior. The markings for game of chess were put on table tops, executed in the form of a casket encrusted with jewels and gold.
Owners of magnificent castles considered for honour to possess all attributes for a game of a chess. Surely the well-known Bavarian castle of Neuschwanstein also had chess boards and sets of expensive pieces. The snow-white castle was reminiscent of fairy tale illustrations, where the main characters were beautiful princesses and brave knights. This feeling is created by the high towers, the jagged red brick entrance gate with a massive lattice rising, and the numerous medieval decorations.
In times gone by, the Kingdom of Bavaria was famous for its natural surroundings, which still attract many tourists today. And King Ludwig's castle itself continues to stir people and transport them back to another era. It was not without reason that it inspired the castles of Disney and Sleeping Beauty. Along with Wartburg, Hohenzollern, Moritzburg, Elz and Johannesburg, Neuschwanstein castle ranks among the best architectural constructions in Germany.
But let us return to medieval chess. Until the 12th century, the pieces were arranged on a board of the same colour. Cells were more often cut through, less often marked with red lines. This was inconvenient for watching and checking moves, so with time the squares became bicoloured. Interestingly, the colour red became a counterbalance to white.
The appearance and behaviour of medieval chess pieces differed from modern chess pieces. The knight was shown as the supreme knight, the rook as Eve and Adam holding hands, two knights at war, and the Archangel Michael striking the serpent.
The Queen had the appearance of a king without a crown or a queen. Until the 15th century this now all-powerful piece could move only one square diagonally. The expansion of its opportunities is associated with the first queen of Spain Isabella of Castile, who became famous as an influential, far-sighted and tough ruler. It was in the 15th century that her political importance in Europe increased, and in honour of this queen was made the strongest chess piece the queen could move freely around the board.
During the Middle Ages the place of the bishop was taken by the alphene, the appearance of which was understood by everyone in their own way. The English and French used them as priests, while in modern-day Belgium they were called counts. The alphena could be found in the form of an old man sitting on a chair, an animal or a tree. According to medieval rules he could jump over the pieces but could only walk a short distance (2 across 2 squares) diagonally. Pawns, on the other hand, could not move more than one square at the start of the game.
Chess in the Middle Ages was akin to art. Their various figures, for which there were no canons, were carved from bone and wood, including rare species, and were made from amber and jasper.