Chess originated in India, as a war game for royals, during the seventh century. It contained the four elements of an army: elephants, horses, chariots and foot soldiers. Chess made its way to Europe via Persia and the Arab conquerors of medieval Spain.

In Europe its characters were adapted to new cultures. As elephants were unknown in Europe these were changed into the bishop. The horse became the knight, who did fight on horseback. The chariot became the castle or rook, a much more static war-instrument. The wise man, which had been the councillor of the shah in Persia, became the Queen. The foot soldiers or pawns remained largely unchanged.       

 

In this game my inspiration for the characters came from the figures of the Chinese terra-cotta army (Qin dynasty).

The foot soldier also wears a modern peasant’s sun hat. The tripod legs were chosen as a stable base for the pieces and mimic the shape of the legs of the Qin figures.

The rook or castle is symbolized by the wheel of the chariot, an attempt at bringing back the chariot of the original Indian game.     

The knight is clearly a horse in my game. The design was taken directly from the Qin army.

The bishop is symbolized by the headdress of the Qin archer, with its off-center topknot. The archers protect the foot soldiers and played a very important part in the Qin army, as did the elephant in the original game.

The Queen in my game refers back to the Persian counselor and therefore became a wise owl.

The King is symbolized by a bird also, the wren, king of all birds. His upside-down feet are his crown. The King, out of anti-royal feelings, has not been given any legs, as he does not travel very far in the game.

 

All the pieces were made from a two-piece moult (body of pawn) and a one-piece press moult (legs) and cut and assembled in various ways. The pieces are high fired stoneware. The board is batik on linen, made using a ceramic stamp and canting. Each square has three dots representing the footprint of the pieces, moving in both directions. The symbols on the side of the board refer to the various playing pieces. Made in 2001.