Chess is 'life in miniature'

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 food to the kingdom.
• The second pawn is a blacksmith who makes armour for the knight.
• The third is an attorney who helps the bishop with legal matters.

Jacobus's allegory becomes the central message of the mini-series "The Queen's Gambit." Beth becomes a figurative queen after she learns to work with other players. Just like the pawn, she converts in her final game.

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