The boys have been playing a lot of chess lately. I’ve actually been surprised by how much they’ve gotten into it. The older two will literally play a dozen times a day and then still want me to play against them when I get home.
I’m a fan of chess as it’s a quiet game that requires logic and teaches patience. It also, in theory, teaches sportsmanship, though that hasn’t always proven to be true. Apparently Grandpa’s cross-board trash talk and end zone-worthy celebratory dances are hereditary. So much for chess being a quiet game.
Anyway, as the boys learned the different chess pieces, I started to realize there is a neat mapping between chess pieces and the family.
The King. A man’s house is his castle, right? In chess the king is the leader and provides the impetus for the game to be played. If the king is captured the game is over. Of course, the king has extremely limited powers for interacting with other pieces and there’s nothing sadder than a solitary king facing the enemy on the board all alone. Ditto, man.
The Queen. The queen is by far the most capable piece in chess. The mother is by far the most capable member of the household. Protecting the queen and her power are vitally important. It’s not a coincidence that the queen is the piece most likely to put the king in checkmate. The queen is also very pretty, selfless, smart and cooks a great pot roast.
The Rook (or Castle). These two pieces flank either end of the chess board. They function well independently and are typically part of any good defense or attack. In our house, this is the two older boys (8 and 6). They set the tone for the younger kids and, just like the humble looking rook, have surprised us with their capacity to assist in the operations of our little kingdom.
The Bishop. These pieces start out close to the king and queen and for good reason. While they have good range, they are easily overextended and need to work with others to accomplish things. They’re somewhat one-dimensional. The 5-year-old is the bishop in our family.
The Knight (or Horse). When valuing pieces in chess, the bishop and knight are afforded the same point value (3). This is because the knight has a unique movement in chess that can be very beneficial, but also one that makes it ineffective and a danger to itself if used alone. You don’t want your knight making unilateral decisions. The knight is our 3-year-old. The knight is all 3-year-olds.
The Pawn. These simple pieces (fun fact: they are not technically pieces and are simply referred to as pawns) span the first row of the board. They seem helpless and do need a lot of assistance. The 18-month-old is the same.
However, if a pawn makes it all the way across the board to the opponent’s back row, it “promotes” to any of the other chessmen. It’s kind of like growing up. Which means pawns are actually an important part of the game if you’re in it for the long run.
And you thought chess was just for dorks.
Harris and his wife live in Pflugerville with their five sons. Please email comments or suggestions for future columns to thoughtsforcaleb@gmail.com
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