Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Chess & Feudalism
How do the pieces, moves, and overall strategy of the game of chess relate to the roles and function of feudalism? What is the symbolism between the two? How does the game of chess symbolize politics & the quest for power & authority? Finally, how does the game of chess challenge you?
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The game of chess represents feudalism in many ways. For example, kings have a land to rule. In chess that represents the side of the board. The Kings represent the kings in real life. The pawns represent the military soldiers. The rook's in the game represent the castles. Knights represent the knights that they had back then. Bishops were also the bishops in the game. The game symbolizes that in order to become power, you need to over throw the other king. I think the game does challenge me because I do not really understand how to play. Also, it is hard to be concentrating on the game and figuring how you will take the king.
ReplyDeleteChess is similar to the concept of feudalism in a lot of ways. For example, in chess, the pawns can be compared to the serfs. They're little, they can't do too much, there's a lot of them, and they're fairly disposable. The point to the whole game is to protect your king and conquer the other king. This is similar to feudalism in that kings really did try to conquer more territory, and more power. The knights in the game of chess are some of the more aggressive pieces, which would also make sense, since it was up to the knights to really protect the King. I learned how to play chess last year, so I already knew what all the pieces can do and basically the point of the game. Even though I know HOW to play, I totally suck at thinking about future moves, it's like impossible for me for some reason...Maybe it's my short attention span.
ReplyDeleteThe pieces, moves, and overall strategy of the game of chess relates to the roles and function of feudalism in many ways. The in chess the king is the piece that needs to be protected. In feudalism the king is also the person who needs to be protected.The queen is always at the aid of the queen in both chess and feudalism. The bishops resembles the Vassal because he has power and he has to help the military. The knights represent the knights in both also. Knights are trained soldiers that are valued. They look like a horse in chess because Knights ride horses. The rooks resemble the castle in which the place of the castle can be rebuilt in a different city. The pawns in chess resemble the surfs as the poor and usually the people with the least amount of power and die early. This is same because Serfs usually did earlier because they were poor. The symbolism between chess and feudalism is that in both the opponents want to take over the others enemies kingdom. The goal of chess is to wipe out the king and gain control of the other sides territory. In this way it is a quest for power over another army. Chess challenges me in only the fact that I plan too far ahead. If I play every move by itself It would probably be easier. I actually enjoy chess because it is a challenge for my brain and I actually have to think.
ReplyDeleteChess definitely connects to Feudalism. The different pieces represent the way that Feudalism works. The pawns represent the serfs. The bishops, kings, and queen all represent actual real life kings, bishops, and queens. The rooks represent the castles. The horse heads in the game of chess represent the knights because knights used to ride on horses. Pretty much the strategy is to wipe out your opponent's king while keeping yours safe. When playing chess, you are on a quest for power. This game challenged me because I did not exactly know how to play and I felt like I would of needed more knowledge and experience of it to have a better strategy.
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ReplyDeleteThe game of chess connects to Feudalism in that the many pieces represent groups of people. Chess represents it in that Kings and Queens represent actual kings and queens while the bishops represent bishops and/or Lords, the knights represent actual knights, the rooks represent castles, I think, and the pawns are of course the serfs. It symbolizes the the quest for authority in that the pieces on the board eat others in their quest for victory. The game of chess challenges me in my patience, it takes way too long. It also helps me with my strategy.
ReplyDeleteTo play chess you have to have a very good strategy and have so what of a plan to take out the opponents king. I find chess as a very challenging board game; you have to focus on what your moves are and the opponent’s moves as well for the sake for your king. I do think that chess does symbolize feudalism, how each chess piece has a certain places. When starting the game the king is in the middle were he is more safe, then pawns protect him and usually die first cause, they are the poor and the only ones who had very few. Then the rooks represent castles how then can move and great lengths and still be very effective. The knights were highly trained soldiers and were ready for combat with heavy armor. They would ride horses, to keep them quick. That’s why the piece is a head of a horse. The bishops who move’s only diagonal color. The bishop would be a strong image in the feudalism times. Then the Queen is a strong aide to the King being the strongest piece in the board game. The king is the one chess that can’t be lost, if lost the game is lost as well. I had a fun time playing, I find the game challenging cause it makes me think of a strategy and a plan on how to beat my opponent.
ReplyDeleteThe pieces of chess all symbolize feudalism. The king is surrounded by many pieces such as pons, knights, castles, and rooks, just like the king would be that was ruling a territory. This is symbolic because if a conquer wanted to capture the king, it'd have to take chances or try to eliminate other pieces to get to the king. The rooks in chess symbolize the castles and how castles can move like how empires can move. The kings can't be captures because if they are, the chess game is over and just like in real world, if the king is captured, the empire is conquered. The pieces of chess greatly symbolize the real figures in feudalism. The game of chess symbolized the quest for power and authority because in both game and life, the strategy is to be tricky and capture the king. Overall, chess challenged me to be strategic and try to capture my opponents king without them realizing. Personally, I thought it was a tough game and for my first time playing, I did not too bad!
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways in which the game and pieces of chess represent feudalism. The king is like the "biggest and most powerful" piece in the game of chess just like a king in a specific territory. Pawns represent the serfs. The are weak and there's lots of them to protect the king. The rooks represent the castles which were like the buildings that kept the kings safe. The bishop represented the bishops in the church. The knights are the soldiers or the army. I think the game of chess displays how people fight to have authority in real life. People want to boss others around and be able to "call the shots" but they have to impress others or do things to get to that spot. I thought it was really fun playing chess even though it seemed to take forever. It was still interesting to learn and I liked how it was something fun that helped relate what we are learning in class.
ReplyDeleteThe pieces, moves, as well of the overall strategy of the game of chess similarly relates to the function/ roles of feudalism. In feudalism, the king was the person who was usually the largest landowner. In other words the king was the person with the most power and it was because of him that things ran and operated how they were supposed to. If a king eventually died, essentially all his power and his empire would as well. However, the king doesn't have complete power on a chess board because he can't move to any space. But once a player's king is captured the game is over. If a king wanted to be overthrown there would have to be a plan of attack, just like in chess. If a player's opponent wants to capture their king then the player must move through and eliminate other pieces. Both in chess and in feudalism, the queen is there to help the king in anything he may need (even though she's more active in the game of chess). The rooks represent the castles. Not only do the bishops represent the power that came from the church, but the vassals as well. The knight pieces on a chess board are in the shape of a horse because knights would ride horses to stay quick. Finally, the pawns in chess are symbols for the serfs. The serfs were usually the farm workers. The game does actually challenge me. I really had no idea how to play chess before playing it in class, so because I'm still learning I'm still being challenged.
ReplyDeleteThe game of chess is in a way a game of feudalism because they are relatively the same thing. In chess the king is the most important piece in the game and if it is taken by the dreaded check mate than you lose. In feudalism, the king was the person with the most power because the king was the person who has control over the land. The chess pieces that surrounded the king were like the subjects of the land in real life. Another concept that follows in the game as well as in real life are the maneuvers that a piece is allowed to do. For example, pawns can only go 2 spaces forward once and the rest of the times can go 1 space forward. They cannot attack straight forward only diagonal. Pawns would be like soldiers in real life and can only do certain orders that they are given but neither can they attack straight forward either they have to be stealthy and attack their opponents in different ways. The only piece that doesn't act like in real life would be the queen because in chess she can move however many spaces she wants sideways or diagonal and is one of the most powerful pieces in the game. In real life she would try her best to do whatever she could do to help out the king. The board itself would pose as the long and difficult journey that an empire must take in order to conquer another empire and it does take strategy to conquer other opponents. I'm not really challenged as much just that is has been some time since I've played so it takes some time to get back into the strategic zone that one needs to be for the game of chess.
ReplyDeleteFeudalism is represented within the game of chess in many different ways. For example in chess you have different pieces such as your pawns, rooks, queen, king, knights, and bishops. These playing pieces represent the serfs,king, queen, the king's knights, the castle of the king, and the bishops of the church. In chess the concept is to capture your opponents king, like in feudalism they tried to conquer different territories and empires. Chess symbolizes power and authority because it shows that sometimes it is necessary to take risks and lose a couple of pieces along the way in order to win. The game of chess challenged me to really think and strategize. It forced me to think not only about my current move but how the movement of one piece could also affect or endanger the others.
ReplyDeleteFeudalism is very similar to chess. Not only do the parts have a strong connection, but the names and the rolls that they play match. For example, the King in chess is like the leader. Without the King, the game would be over, kind of like in feudalism. The King is the highest rank of power and has control over all the land. The knight in feudalism wears amour, which is very heavy. Because they do that, they have to ride horses to be able to move. That is why in chess, the knight's piece in the head of a horse. The game of chess is very intense. For being such an easy concept for the most part, you have to be able to think ahead and read your opponent. When I had my partner in check, she would just move the King back from one place to the next. I then realized I had to capture from the back. One piece could change the game completely.
ReplyDeleteZulema,
ReplyDeleteI agree with how chess made you think a lot. It was my very first time playing chess, and I had idea what I was doing at first. However, once my partner and I started getting the hang of it, the game became hardcore intense.
Teresita,
I like the way that you worded the authority that the pieces on the board had along with the characters of feudalism. Its like high powered people didn't care if the lower ranks got screwed over as long as they were safe in the end. Also, I agree that you have to have a lot of patience with chess, which is probably the exact reason I don't do well. (:
I think that overall you need a good strategy to capture the king, fast, otherwise its going to take forever; for example, the whole class period, to capture the king. The game of chess relates to feudalism in the positions of the pieces and the way they move. For instance, the "king" in chess represents an actual king as well as the "queen" and "bishop". The game of chess challenged me because i had to memorize where each piece could move. Another thing that challenged me was keeping track of where the opponent moved the pieces, plus I had to predict the next move. Overall i enjoyed the game, i think its addicting and at the same time stressful. I really hope we can have more time to play.
ReplyDeleteDeep, I agree with you totally on the game of chess. I think you did a great job explaining what every piece does and how it corresponds with feudalism. I thought this game was challenging as well but I enjoyed it because it was strategical.
ReplyDeleteMadi, I think your strategy for playing chess is very similar to mine, I thought that in order to play chess you had to capture from the front, but you are more successful if you capture from behind. I enjoyed chess to and I think that it helped me understand feudalism better as well.
The point of chess is to take out all the others and take the king. Just like during Feudalism where if you take out the king you have the power. The symbolism is that the pawns are the soldiers, the knight is the knight, the bishop is the advisor, and the rook is the castle defense. The game symbolizes the way of politics and quest and power of authority by using your army to take out the opponents army and once you've done that you have control of the land/chess board.
ReplyDeleteIn chess, the point is to capture the other player's king. This is done by having different pieces, and having them go out and "spread" and take control of territory. This is the same in feudalism, because King's in real life do the same thing. They take over a territory, and have knights bishops and rooks spread out, helping the king take more area and eventually taken over the other king. With the help of pawns or "serfs" to help, which pawns are not important, so are easy to dispose of. The game of chess is not an easy game and challenges people to think ahead of their opposition's moves. I rarely played the game a few times, and it challenged me by always thinking ahead and not just only on one move.
ReplyDeleteMadi, I agree, a single piece can determine the end result of the game. Depending where you move a piece or pieces can end a game in only a few moves.
ReplyDeleteAlex, I agree, unlike other games, you must have a strategy, to be effective in the game. Without a strategy it takes out the point of game and the use of each piece.
Chess is similar to feudalism in several ways. The pawns would be like the serfs. They can't really do anything and there is a lot of them. In chess the point of the game is to conquer the other king while protecting your own. Kings actually did try to conquer more territory and gain power. We would consider the queen to always be at aid. The Vassal is represented by the bishops, he has power and helps the military. The knights are represented by knights. In chess a knight is a horse, this is because knights ride horses. Chess challenges me in the way that I have to think before each move. Not only that but I have to plan future moves and think what will happen if my opponent was to make an unexpected move. I am not very good at the thinking part, it is hard for me to be watching my king and trying to take over their king.
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ReplyDeleteThe pieces in chess relate somehow to the way feudalistic society was organized. The King and Queen are the pieces that can do the most in chess. The only reason that the King can't move as much as the queen can, however, is that the king must be protected and put into as little danger as possible. When a king is captured, the territory he governs then belongs to the conquering king. The pawns represent the common people because they have the least power on the board, and have the least authority. They are also in front because they are less valuable than those that have more power. Because of this, they are sacrificed first. It symbolizes politics because each little territory of each king was trying to take over the other king's territory in order to become more powerful. They did this by using their armies first (the pawns) combined with the other people that served the king (such as knights). The game of chess challenged me because although I know what each piece does, I don't know how to strategize in order to win.
ReplyDeleteMadi- You said that when you were playing against your opponent when she was in check she would just move her king back and forth. The first time playing that is how the game between my opponents and I went. The second time we played however I became more strategic and was able to pretty much set up a trap. I agree with you the game is pretty intense.
ReplyDeleteIrma- I agree you do need to have a good strategy and understanding of the game or else it becomes boring and dragged out. The first time we played in class neither my opponent nor I won because we didn't take many risks because we didn't want to lose one of our pieces.
IRMA-
ReplyDeleteI agree with you because it does take forever to capture the king if you don't have a strategy. The game does also represent people in real life.
ROSIE-
I agree with you that when you said that you have to think before every move. Also, that it is hard to know what will happen next.
The way in which Feudalism functioned in the middle ages and how the game of chess is played can be linked to one another. The pieces in chess, for example, display roles that Feudalism consisted of. Pons would be the piece of the common people or peasants because they are of least importance on the board. Bishops, knights, and rooks represent people a little more power, so they were capable of doing more. Last, the King and Queen are the most significant individuals on the chess board because they have the most power and can move in any which way; the queen can travel as many spots as possible. This game symbolizes politics and the quest for power and authority because it is based around capturing your opponents King. If that were to be the case in real life, by winning, one would receive all of the other teams territory. Chess challenges me because I can only strategize to help myself and it is difficult for me to recognize the several ways in which my opponent is strategizing. However, the game happens to be a lot of fun and I wish to continue playing it so I can improve.
ReplyDeleteIrma,
ReplyDeleteI agree that in chess a good strategy is needed to catch the other person's king, although some may ague that chess should take forever because you should think about this. I don't agree with this, mainly because I don't have the patience. I had to memorize which pieces could move where, and I kept getting confused. The game is kind of addicting and a bit stressful.
Isabel,
I never really thought about why the queen is more active in chess than the king, but what you said really made sense to me. I agree you on how I don't really have a strategy to win either. I just go with the flow. But, it's hard to go in with a strategy now knowing what your opponent will do.
Madi,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree when you say that one piece could change the game completely. Yes feudalism and chess are very similar by there parts having strong connections and the names and rolls matching.
Irma,
Like you I think that you need a good strategy to capture the king fast. Yes otherwise it could take the whole class period to capture the king. I also enjoyed the game and hope we can play it more.
Irma,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that without a strategy, capturing the king would be impossible. Another thing to consider is that it is almost impossible to anticipate your opponents move.
Franklin,
I somewhat agree with you that have to spread the pieces out in order to capture your opponents king but you must do this with care. If you are to spread your pieces out without care than it is easier for your opponent to win and take over your empire by taking your pieces one by one.
In chess your land is your side of the chessboard. The point of the game is to take the other opponents king and thus conquer his land. The other chess pieces serve as soldiers in the king’s quest for power. Sound familiar? That’s because chess is a game of strategy and war simulation. Feudalism shows up in many of the chess pieces, for example the serfs can be described as the pawns in chess. The knight transfers over to the knight in chess as well. In feudalism the king is in an ultimate quest for power and his subject were either loyal to him or they wanted to get higher up in society. The lords wanted to be king, the serfs wanted to be noble, the knights wanted to be lords. The game of chess challenged me the most because you have to strategize and make moves in anticipation of what the opponent is going to do. Its not very easy to predict the future. The fact that I had never in my life played the game may have been the reason I was so miserable at it. I did enjoy the challenge of it though.
ReplyDeleteIsabel- I think you did a very good job of describing the politics of it all. I agree that the hardest part is the strategizing of it all.
ReplyDeleteJessica- I appreciate your honesty. Not many people would openly admit that they “suck at thinking about future moves and have a short attention span”. I thought you did a very good job of getting your point across.
Isabel,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the King has to be in as little risk as possible, although sometimes it is inevitable to not put it at risk, depending on how you have moved the other pieces. I like how you think.
Stefani,
Yes, i also agree the king has the most power, but in chess, just like in feudalism, what would the king be without the other "pieces"...I think you did a very well job explaining your thought.
Isabel- I liked how you stated your opinion. It was very out there. Though there does sometimes have to be some risk. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteJessica- I liked your honesty in your writing. It was very out there. I also liked the length. Great work!
Katherine
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that chess is...very similar to feudalism. And it's okay that you're not very good at chess, silly, I've known how to play forever, and I still suck, so don't feel bad. :) Good job!
Isabel,
You are so intelligent!! I feel dumb reading your post...I agree with what you said about chess being very similar to a feudalistic society. Like you, I have absolutely no strategy when I play. Nice post :)
Chess is similar to feudalism in many ways. In chess and in feudalism, the king is the person or piece that needs to be protected. The queen is representative of the queen in real life as well. The bishops are like vassals because they have power and help the military. The knights are like the actual knights. The rooks resemble castles that can be moved. The pawns represent serfs and poor because they have little or no power. The symbolism between feudalism and chess is that they are both trying to conquer the other kingdoms. The goal is to eliminate the kingdom by taking out the king, both in chess and in feudalism. The kings are each out for more power by gaining more and more land and people in kingdoms. The game of chess challenges me because I try not to overthink things, and during chess I really need to plan things out in advance.
ReplyDeleteDiana - I agree with you that in order to become more powerful, kings have to be overcome. I also agree that it is sort of hard to concentrate on sometimes.
ReplyDeleteJessica - I agree that you believe the knights are more aggressive pieces. The way they're designed to move agrees with that pretty well. I'm terrible at thinking out future moves too.
Irma- I agree with you but not only should you have a strategy you also need to have a back up strategy in case that your first one fails and not only do you need to think about your present move but you have to think of your next move and continue with the strategy.
ReplyDeleteDiana- you are exactly correct on how they are Chess and Feudalism are similar. After a while though you get the hang of it and then it becomes easy to think ahead and think in the present
The game of chess is very very much like feudalism. In both chess and fuedalism, the king has to be protected by all the other pieces. The purpose of the piece is basically determined by its rank. The knights fought for the king and protected the king. The pawns are like the serfs, they were sometimes sacrificed for the well being of the kingdom. When both sides fight to conquer the other, it represents the whole concept of kings trying to conquer other territories. Every piece is essential of the taking over of another land. Chess challenged me, ALOT!! i had never played the game before, but i kinda caught on real fast. I just didnt make the right moves. Basically all i did this weekend was try to win a game of chess on the computer, but i was unsuccessful. it was lots of fun though!
ReplyDeleteKelli,
ReplyDeleteI agree that you have to plan about things in advance and that you also gotta jst know what the consequences are gonna be.
Olivia,
I also struggle in seeing the opponents move and their strategy, but it was alot of fun though.
Franklin, I pretty much think you described and put everything together really well. I hadn't really played much chess either, but it was fun. :)
ReplyDeleteSally, your description about the kings and their territory was great. It really helped me understand that.
The back row of pieces have more mobility than the front row, and they are usually of more worth. This relates to feudalism in that the front row (peasants) do not have the same privileges as the back row (nobility). This shows that peasants aren't of much worth to the nobility, even though they help support them. Chess is all about being the winner, and using strategies to defeat the opponent. The game of chess challenges me to have patience, because it is often a game that takes up time.
ReplyDeleteSergio---I enjoy playing chess as well, and I too have tried playing the computer. I haven't beaten it either.
ReplyDeleteFranklin--- I liked your description of what chess is, because you're absolutely right. Chess is like feudalism in that it is about gaining power, like the opponents king.
Carlos- good job on explain the symbolism. In Feudalism if you kill the king you do gain control. I agree with most of you symbolism. Did chess not challenge you in anyway? Good Job.
ReplyDeleteFranklin- Franklin I agree that in Feudalism it is necessary to spread and then attack and gain power. There are not any rooks in real life it is just a castle I believe. I agree pawns are serfs. I also agree that the upper class did not believe serfs were important. I think ahead when I play but I think more then just one move. Good Job.
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have the patience for chess, nor would i have the mind to come up with strategies to defeat my opponent. Also, I like how you described the back row as having more "worth" than the front row because that's exactly what it is. A lot of times we see the player sacrifice this front row in order to protect the back row of pieces.
Katherine,
I like how you pointed out that your "land" is your side of the chessboard-I had never thought of it like that. I was not god at anticipating what my partner's next move would be, so I didn't come up with strategies, I just moved pieces.