Chess

Myths credit invention to a woman:

by A.C. De Silva

The game of chess which is about the oldest and a very popular one at that in the world, has always been thought of as a man's game. And, to a large extent, of course, it is. But many women have also played the game, and some very well indeed. Several legends even credit the invention of the game to a woman.

One story says that a queen designed the game in an effort to distract an overamourous husband. Could this possibly explain why only one such game has ever been invented?

An interesting sidelight on the history of the game concerns the power and mobility of the queen, the only feminine piece on the board. Until the game was imported to Europe from India, by way of the Middle East, the piece which is now the queen was known as a vizier, or Prime Minister, and was much more limited in its movements.

But when the sex of this piece was changed, its moves were augmented to allow it to go the whole length of the board in any direction at one time.

Of course in Asia a female piece would probably never have attained such power, and might never have been introduced into what was considered to be a war game. Yet this one change in the queen and her movements made the game infinitely more interesting, just as the entrance of a female in any group of men always live things - up.

The fact that the queen became the most powerful piece, except for the king himself, may be looked upon either as a subtle compliment or criticism of the female sex in general, depending on one's point of view. And the queen was actually considered to be the king's wife, since for many years no pawn could be redeemed for a second queen while the first was still on the board; this would have made the king a bigamist.

In the early days both boys and girls of the European nobility were taught to play chess as a part of the preparation for their future role in society.

Gentlemen were even permitted to visit ladies in their chambers for the purpose of playing chess with them. This is thought by some to have been one reason for the great popularity of the game at that time.

It was considered to be a romantic pastime.

One of the earliest female chess players turned her knowledge of the game to very good advantage. Harin-al-Rashid heard of a slave girl who was a very skilful player and bought her for 10,000 dinars.

After being defeated by her three times, he told her she might choose a reward. She asked his pardon for her lover, who was evidently in disfavour with the law at the time.

It is said that in a French romance, dated about 1100 AD, Huon de Bordeaux made a pact with King Ivor to play chess with his daughter. If he lost, he was to be beheaded, but if he won, he would enjoy the favours of the princess for one night. The King's daughter lost, whether on purpose or not we must draw our own conclusions; Huon was reported to be quite handsome. When he declined to collect his wager, she was rather vexed, saying she should have defeated him and let him be beheaded.

In the 1930s, the first woman chess master emerged upon the scene. She was Vera Menchik, and she defeated many of the well-known masters, as well as a couple of world champions. Her defeated partners became known as members of the "Vera Menchik Club", but generally it was considered no honour by the men who gained this distinction.

Vera Menchik was born in Russia and was taught the game by her father, who was just an average player. She began to win school tournaments at an early age. After the family moved to England Vera met a great Hungarian chess master who gave her private lessons.

She is the only woman who has been good enough to compete in international tournaments with the great male chess masters of the world.

She was also capable of playing a number of games simultaneously.

In 1935, she played ten of the best women chess players of Leningrad, Moscow and Sverdlovsk. In three hours she defeated nine of them, and won a draw from the tenth. Vera Menchik was killed in one of the air raids on England in World War II.

Why don't more women play chess?

Many, of course, are too busy with the everyday affairs of life. And yet a number of women do find time for bridge.

Those who do play chess usually hesitate to a venture into a chess club where they know there will be few women, if any at all. However, once they learn the game and begin to play seriously, they find a great deal of mental stimulation and placer in it.Even getting beaten by a good player can be fun, but winning a game from a man who considers himself a top-flight player is one of the most satisfying experiences a woman can have.