Early European chess players turned the chess game to reflect their society's political structure.

• Originally, chess was a game of war. Horsemen, elephant-riding fighters, charioteers and infantry protected the "shah" and his counsellor, the "firz."
• But

• Initially, the chess queen could only move one square.
• In the 15th century, the queen gained unlimited movement in any direction.
• The queen's elevation to the strongest piece appeared first in Spain during the time when the powerful Queen Isabella was on ...

The 13th-century Dominican friar Jacobus de Cessolis described the ways each chess piece contributes to a harmonious social order.

• He distinguished paws by trade and connected each to its royal partner.
• The first pawn is a farmer and tied to the castle because he provides ...