EXPLORING DISCOVER: ENGAGING ACTIVITIES FOR CLASSROOM OR HOME A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHESS

Chess is one of the most popular and longest-lived games on the planet. It was invented in India over a thousand years ago as a game of strategy. It is believed it evolved from the Indian game of chaturanga, played with two or four players and sometimes dice.

The name chess comes from an earlier Persian word, shah, meaning , and was filtered through the old French language to become chess. It quickly became a favorite throughout Europe. During this time, Europeans changed the name of some of the pieces to king, , , , and foot soldier (). is a very old name from the Persian word rokh and Sanskrit rath, meaning chariot.

The game, inherited in Europe and from the Middle East, was slow to play, often taking days to finish. Because there were many variations of the game, it was difficult to play with those outside a community. By the 1500’s, efforts were made to shorten and standardize the game evolving into the version for international play today, but it should be noted that there are many variations of chess played today outside of the internatioVnaOl stCanAdaBrdU veLrsAionR. Y

DISCOVER is a free activity made possible by Judith A. Lackstrom and Robert E. Morrow 1 GOAL: Using personal experiences or current events, imagine and create chess pieces and a board made of any materials available.

OBJECTIVES: Explore ways chess sets reflect society in a particular time or place Create your own chess set using guidelines above for size and number Create pieces that are balanced and stand independently Create all 32 pieces with color differentiation representing each side Envision each group of pieces as individual artworks Use your own experiences, likes, or current events as inspiration

VOCABULARY

Use the Definitions and Visual Arts Vocabulary List on the DISCOVER page at www.maryhillmuseum.org/activities

NATIONAL VISUAL ARTS STANDARDS: DISCOVER activities align with National Visual Arts Standards. To view a list of exact standards met in this DISCOVER activity, visit www.maryhillmuseum.org/activities

DISCOVER is a free activity made possible by Judith A. Lackstrom and Robert E. Morrow 1 THE PIECES Very early, game pieces used by the Indians and the Persians were probably carved to represent the military: generals, soldiers, elephants, horses, ships, camels, forts, and ramparts. When the Arabs began to play the game, they created simple shapes and forms abstracted from these pieces. European artists at first copied the Arabian models, but began to decorate surfaces, eventually carving pieces in the round, as small sculptures. These pieces were created as kings, queens, knights, bishops, and castles—a reflection of their society.

KING This is the most important piece in the game. There is one king for each side. All pieces protect the king. This piece moves in short, careful steps, one square at a time in any direction. The king is usually the largest piece in the game. The piece may not always be represented by a human form but is always something that has high importance.

QUEEN While the KING is the most important piece, the QUEEN is the most powerful. This piece can move in any direction: straight, diagonally, forward, or backwards. There is one queen for each side. Often, this piece is represented by being the second largest piece on the board and is also something of great importance in a society.

BISHOP The bishop is important as it can move diagonally, backwards and forwards on the squares of its side’s color. It is often the third largest piece and is often portrayed as a religious figure or magician. It can go as many spaces as necessary at one time until it reaches the end of the board or captures an opponent’s piece. It is both a guard and a mobile warrior as it can strike from any direction. There are two bishops to each side.

KNIGHT The two knights on each side have a primary duty of guarding the king. They move in an “L” shape by taking two squares in any direction vertically followed by one square horizontally, or two squares in any direction horizontally followed by one square vertically. This piece is usually smaller than the bishop, and sometimes smaller than the rook (castle). The knight is generally associated with the armies of the king and is often represented by a horse.

DISCOVER is a free activity made possible by Judith A. Lackstrom and Robert E. Morrow 2 ROOK or CASTLE The rook moves in straight lines: sideways, backwards, or forward. It can go short or long distances to the edge of the board or until it captures a piece from the opposing side. It can be of equal size to any board piece except the king. It represents the fortress or home.

PAWN This piece is the least in power but has the most in numbers of pieces. It moves one square at a time, except for the first move for each pawn, which can be two squares. They take opponents by moving one block diagonally left or right. It represents the foot soldiers and is critical to the game as it can become any needed piece (usually a queen, the most powerful piece) if they make it all the way to the opponent's edge of the game. These pieces are often used as roadblocks to add protection around the king. ACTIVITY Explore chess sets by using the links to Maryhill Museum of Art’s website, below. This interactive experience will allow you great access to Maryhill’s amazing chess collection and will give you in-depth information about the artistry in the pieces.

Also listen to a short video by Maryhill Museum’s Executive Director, Colleen Schafroth, the author of two books about chess and Maryhill’s collection.

LINKS www.maryhillmuseum.org/maryhill-chess www.maryhillmuseum.org/inside/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/international-chess-sets

Ireland, Chess Set, c. 1980; sea shells; Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Dean; Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art

DISCOVER is a free activity made possible by Judith A. Lackstrom and Robert E. Morrow 3 ACTIVITY Using inspiration from your own life, create a chess set with any available materials (be creative). Follow the definitions for size and number on pages two and three to make clear the roles your pieces will have in the game.

Below are some curriculum applications or social lenses from which to view chess sets and inspire your artwork:

GEOGRAPHY: Chess sets lend themselves very well to studies of geography. Looking at various sets from around the world is a great way to introduce map reading skills as well as exploration of other cultures

HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES: Chess sets reflect the societies of the people who made them. You can explore a country’s material culture, fashion, historic events, politics, and many other aspects of a place and people.

MATH: Chess is a game that is useful in teaching math skills, especially counting and multiplication. Squares and shapes are reinforced by the way the pieces move around the board, and the board itself, made up of small squares that equal one large square.

NATURAL HISTORY/SCIENCE: The natural world is a very traditional subject matter for chess sets. In Maryhill’s collection you might find exotic animals, domesticated animals, insects, sea creatures, and even plants. The materials from which many sets are carved give information about the materials available and their value. For example, ivory was a valuable material that was banned from use in the U.S. since 1989. Comparing materials and dates provides useful information about a place and time.

LITERATURE: Mythology, stories of high literature to folk tales, battles of good versus evil... Cultural fabrics are woven from these into the game boards and pieces encountered. From The Iliad of Homer to Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, stories have been told through chess sets.

WRITING: Let the chess sets inspire your own poetry or stories. This game is imbued with rich symbolism and language that can work well as inspiration for a new story that connects viewers and readers.

DISCOVER is a free activity made possible by Judith A. Lackstrom and Robert E. Morrow 4 ACTIVITY

Play a game with your art!

1.Make a chessboard and pieces. The board consists of 64 equal squares arranged in eight rows and eight columns. The squares are arranged in two alternating, or opposing, colors. Lighter colored material will be referred to as white and the darker material is known as black. 2.Set up the chessboard so that each player has the white (or lighter) color square in the bottom right-hand side. 3.The chess pieces are arranged the same way each time. The entire second row is filled with pawns. The rooks go in the corners, then the knights next to them, followed by the bishops, and finally the queen, who always goes on her own matching color (white queen on white, black queen on black), and the king on the remaining square. The player with the white pieces always moves first. 4.Each of the six different kinds of pieces moves differently. See the descriptions above. Pieces cannot move through other pieces, although the knight can jump over other pieces. A piece can never move onto a square with other pieces. A piece can be moved to take the place of an opponent's piece, which is then captured. 5.Think about moving your pieces into positions where it will capture other pieces. When you land on their square, capture their piece and place your piece on that square. 6.If a pawn reaches the other side of the board it can become any other , called “under .” Usually, it becomes a Queen, the most versatile and powerful piece on the board, but this decision rests on the player. 7.The goal is to capture the king. The king is the most important piece but is one of the weakest. It can only move one square in any direction—up, down, to the sides, and diagonally. The king may never move itself into check (where it could be captured). When the king is attacked by another piece this is called "check,” a condition that occurs when a player’s king is under threat of capture on their opponent’s next turn. A player tries to use check to force a king into a position where checkmate can occur, and the game is then won.

DISCOVER is a free activity made possible by Judith A. Lackstrom and Robert E. Morrow 5 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

BOOKS The Art of Chess, by Colleen Schafroth Sculptures in Miniature: Chess Sets from the Maryhill Museum of Art, by Colleen Schafroth

ONLINE REFERENCES www.chess.com/learn-how-to-play-chess www.ichess.net/blog/chess-pieces-moves artsandculture.google.com/partner/maryhill-museum-of-art www.maryhillmuseum.org/maryhill-chess www.maryhillmuseum.org/inside/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/international-chess-sets

P. Riera (Spanish), Bullfight Chess Set, c. 1950, painted wood; Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Dean; Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art

DISCOVER is a free activity made possible by Judith A. Lackstrom and Robert E. Morrow 6 Cover image: Kevin Peters (Nez Perce, b. 1957), Black Bird Singing (detail), 1999. Acrylic on board, 20" x 16"; Museum Purchase with funds provided by Wildhorse Casino; Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art

Visit our website for more educational resources, including lesson plans, videos and online exhibitions. Contact our Education Department at [email protected] for information on school field trips and tailored art experiences!

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