Chess Sets
09.08.06 By Lorraine Newberry
My son’s first grade teacher informed the parents yesterday that she’ll be teaching our six and seven year olds how to play chess this year. I would never have thought to teach chess to a child that young, but apparently she does it every year and the kids love it. I myself have never become a proficient player, but I’ll give it another go this year so I can play with the little guy, and that will give me an excuse to get one of those beautiful chess sets that I’m always admiring in stores but never buy.
There is some disagreement about the origins of the modern version of the game of chess - some say it came from India while others believe that China was the birthplace of chess. The game spread into Persia and on to the Arab world and during the middle ages was brought by tradesmen and invaders to Europe, where it quickly became popular among the nobility and upper classes and developed into the game we know today. Medieval Europeans gave the pieces names and shapes of familiar characters of their time - knights, bishops, kings and queens. The standard shapes that are used today were developed in 1849.
While chess sets with horses representing the knights and crowns representing kings and queens are perhaps the most well-known, there are all sorts of sets available for those who love chess, and collectors love searching out a new and different set. There are sets with elaborately carved kings and queens and sets that depict figures from actual wars and battles, such as the Civil War or Battle of Hastings. There are sets designed for children with friendly characters from familiar cartoons like Scooby Doo or famous movies like Star Wars. There are even chess sets made from materials like jade or pewter - the choices are endless!
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Article Tags: bishop, chess, China, India, kings, knights, pawn, queens, set================
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