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Why do you think the game of chess became popular across many cultures?

Why do you think chess pieces were crafted in different ways and named differently across different geographical areas and cultures?

Why did the Mantri or Vazir become the Queen in Europe?

What does this tell us about cultural adaptation?

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1). Watch the clip 'A brief history of Chess' under the resources tab.

2). Observe the chart under the resources tab. The chart explains how chess pieces were named and identified in various different ways as the game spread to different parts of the world.

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Choose a spokesperson from your group to present your cultural exchange to the class!

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1) Why do you think the game of chess became popular across many cultures?

Chess was invented in India almost 1500 years ago. It spread through the Arab world quickly once they got wind of it, and from there, proceeded to conquer the entire world. By the Middle Ages, it had become something of a spectacle in Europe, and shortly thereafter, chess tournaments began to be played and the world entered into a new age of competitive chess. The game of chess became popular across many cultures because the representation of chess was interesting and fun to play. Suddenly to buy a chess set became more common, which increased the popularity of the game. The introduction of tournament play represented a fundamental shift in chess culture that changed the way the game was played forever. It is probably the biggest cultural shift in chess from its worldwide spread to the modern day.

2) Why do you think chess pieces were crafted in different ways and named differently across different geographical areas and cultures?

I think chess pieces were crafted in different ways and named differently across different geographical areas and cultures because it reflects the value of each piece like the King and the Queen.

For example, The pawns on the chess board represent serfs, or laborers. There are more of them than any other piece on the board, and often they are sacrificed to save the more valuable pieces. The knight on a chess board represents the professional soldier of medieval times whose job it was to protect persons of rank, and there are two of them per each side in a game of chess. There is a bishop in the game of chess, who represents the church. The church was a rich and mighty force in medieval times, and religion played a large part in every person’s life. The queen is the only piece on the board during a chess game that represents a woman, and she is the most powerful piece of the game. In the game of chess, there is only one queen for each side. Many people do not realize that queens in medieval times often held a powerful, yet precarious, position. The king is the tallest piece on the board, and is as well defended on the chessboard as in medieval life. In medieval times, the surrender of the king would mean the loss of the kingdom to invading armies and that could mean change for the worse.

3) Why did the Mantri or Vazir become the Queen in Europe?

The Mantri or Vazir became the Queen in Europe because it has greater power than the other chess pieces.

4) What does this tell us about cultural adaptation?

This tells us about cultural adaptation because it outlines the European traditions.