ENTERTAINMENT IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Entertainment In The Middle Ages: Chess

chess then reached Persia which led to it spreading to the islamic world when Muslims attacked it. chaturanga was renamed shatranj after the arabic translation of the word. chess cmae to Europe and Later on, to china, Korea, and japan.

Raw materials used for chess in the middle ages

During the middle ages, chess pieces were often made of precious and expensive materials, like Ivory and Rock Crystal. also gold, silver and gem stones were sometimes used. then, The pieces were often imported. local chess pieces were often made from bone or antler. Chessboards were made from expensive woods, enamel or other unique materials. When not used, chessboards were hung on the wall by a ring and the pieces were placed in a bag. less wealthier people often customize and create their own board and pieces.

Chess in the middle ages (Europe)

Chess in Europe back then was a bit different from today. For Example, how the king can only move like a knight for one move. This is because in Europe the king usually had a horse and led the cavalry and knights. this move later wasn't used because knights/nobles became replaced with peasents in wars. During the middle ages, in chess, pawns can only move one square at a time. Other chess moves were also modified due to real moves in battle. French invented castle as well. The alternating black and white tiles on the board came from europe. later monks changed the rule so that on the pawn's first move it can be moved two spaces and not just one. poorer people didn’t really play chess and they would make their own games.

fun fact;

"checkmate" comes from the old Persian expression "shah mat", which means "the king is helpless"

Introduction

Chess has been around for centuries, but have you wondered where it originated from ? Or what chess was like long ago? How does it compare to today? How has it evolved? In this presentation, you will learn about chess in ways you have never before - back to the time of the Middle Ages.

Modern day chess is much like Islamic chess. Muslims, when fighting the crusades modified the game a bit to suit their needs in the war. They also studied the Christian's battle technique and added that in the game. This explains the formation of the starting places in modern chess. The foot soldiers are usually at the front of an army with cavalry backing them up. Knights are able to jump over other pieces much like in real battles. Knights also move in their unique L shape because when fighting, knights with horses usually don't attack head on. They attack from the side. The bishop in chess most likely stood for the Catholic Church. They gave advice to the king on attacking the Muslims. This is also why when you set up chess pieces, the bishop is next to the king. The queen wasn't added to the board till later because in battle they usually don't fight. The king's general used to take the queen's place.

Where it all started

This may surprise you but, chess was not used as recreation in the Middle Ages at first. This is one of the main differences between chess then and now. Back then, Kings used chess for military uses and for planning attacks . IT was first seen in India during the Gupta empire. It was called chaturanga.

Chess in the middle ages

( MIddle east/islamic World)

By Emma

Materials for chess used today

today chess pieces are often made of plastic. for a certain plastic to be fit in chess, it must be easily colored and heat stable, and have good impact strength. Polymers found in plastics are typically colorless, so colorants are added to make the pieces look engaging . Titanium dioxide might be used for the white chess pieces. For more fancier sets, other materials such as iron oxides can be used to create yellow, red, black, brown, and tan pieces. filler materials are added to the plastics to high quality pieces. plasticizers are often added to the plastic. Plasticizers are solvents help make the plastic more flexible and less brittle. reinforcement materials such as fiberglass might also be added. Other additions like ultraviolet (UV) protectors, heat stabilizers, antioxidants, and manufacturing aids can be used to improve the pieces.

Chess Today

chess today is often played for entertainment. Also chess can be played online on computers or other devices now too. You can play against a friend or just play one player- versing a cpu at a selected level. To some people even , chess is considered a sport. There are contests and tornements held just for chess. The boards are alternating black and white tiles. Some of the boards are more like mats making them portable. There is a king, a queen, 8 pawns, 2 bishops, 2 rooks, and 2 knights.

Chess in the Middle Ages

Answering My Essential Question: What is the difference of modernday games to games in the Middle Ages?

Similarities

• used to be for battle strategies and planning
• the pieces were made from precious woods, crystals, ivory,and other fancy materials
• usually was played by nobles and other higher-ranking classes
• the less-wealthier had to create their own sets if they wanted to play
• there wasn't a queen and the Muslims had a general aswell as some

Chess today

• mostly similiar rules
• the both had rooks, bishops, a king, pawns, knights
• strategic
• similiar boards
• moves for some pieces are the same

• It is played for entertainment
• there are now tornuments for chess
• you can play online using computers, cellphones, etc
• mostly anyone can play chess
• they are most often made of plastic
• the chess game can be portable
• there is a queen instead of a general

Conclusion

Chess has advanced throughout the ages and evolved a lot. The ven-diagram also helps show how the Technology Age has affected chess. It was used for battle and now it is a game for entertainment. Sometimes we can learn our past to understand our present better. For example, chess pieces used to be made of wood/rock. Now it is made of plastic. Most plastics don't decompose so we can use wood to have a more positive impact on Earth. Chess will be and stay a timeless and popular game no matter what the time peroid.

for watching the prezi :)