Written by Greta HylandHave you ever wondered why the queen is the most powerful piece in Chess? In a male dominated world, and with a game that has been around for centuries, it’s rather astonishing really. I am sure that historians, psychologists, sociologists, and anyone else who has mused on this oddity, could probably give insightful, if not interesting facts and theories about it. But from what I have read, it may have come about for mating purposes, or something akin to it.
I have wondered about the queen (and found satisfaction in it) since I was 12 years old when first introduced to the game. But it was not until recently that my curiosity, coupled with the mystified look on my son’s face and comments like, “The king is worthless,” or “Why can’t the king be like the queen?” that moved me enough to do some research. See, my son is only 10 years old and lives in a world where women enjoy equality with men, and still even he can’t grapple with why the queen is more powerful than the king. Despite all the strides we have made for equality, we are still conditioned to believe that men are, and should be, more powerful than women. Why?
Men are only “stronger” than women in the traditional sense: physically. And that is not even of their own design, but of their making, physiologically. In other words, they are born that way. But the mind is different. And perhaps that is why the queen is the most powerful piece in Chess. In a battle of strategy, it is the mind, not might, that matters most. Where men are defined by their physicality, women’s strength is of the mind. Even sex is tied to their minds. Of course mind and might both matter when it comes to ‘battle” but it is intriguing when looked at from this angle.
Before you go thinking that I am calling men dumb or that women can’t be physically strong, let me just say that this is a general observation. Both are strong and smart, and weak and dumb equally. But women are strong, tough, and resilient in ways that men are not, not because they are born that way, but because they have to be. When you are not physically as strong as your opponent, to beat them, you must be smarter than them. This is the world girls grow up in, whether they like it or not.
I don’t know why the queen replaced the male fertz in Europe in the 15th century, originally a male counselor to the king when Chess was created in India. I guess no one knows. But it may have been a way for young people to spend time together, or it might have been the first hint of feminism rising up as women played the game, or men may have desired strong women, or the women behind the men urged it, or maybe they wanted to pretend to be women; who knows.
Either way, from what I can glean online, in those times young people were not allowed to spend time alone together, but chess was an exception. A young man and a young woman could play chess together, and thus get some alone time beyond the watchful eyes of parents and within the realm of cultural norms. What better way to check out a potential mate than over a game of chess? You could gauge how smart, how patient, how strategic, how temperamental, if they quit when the game gets hard, and best, how your love interest loses; all qualities that would be good to know before marrying.
I have just started playing chess again after a long 30 year hiatus. I guess playing all day, every day during my 12th summer just wiped me out. But my sons have rejuvenated my love for the game and have inspired some wisdom I hope to impart to them.
I spend a lot of time talking to my boys about girls, about how to treat them, how to beware of them, and what to look for in them. But mostly my sermons have centered on their behavior and not that of the girls’ behavior. What do I want for my boys? I want them to find a chess-like queen: a protector, someone who is strong, and who is not just smart but who thinks, and someone who acts out of love and loyalty (there are queens who could let the king die after all). Of course I am imbibing my own biases into not only the game, but into my guidance for life, but I think those Europeans who changed the rules so long ago imparted something noteworthy, albeit subtly.
What did their new rules suggest? That the king isn’t always the strongest or smartest, sometimes the queen is; that often it takes your connections and relationships to win in life; that who you choose to keep as company matters; and that ultimately, it is our choices that determine our fate. Not bad coming from a game right? It also teaches that everyone is equal on a game board – doesn’t matter if you are male or female, black or white, American or Persian – how you play the game determines your standing and status. And in life, it should be the same.
Perhaps the men in the 15th century realized some things that we are still struggling to understand today. Perhaps they tried subtly to shift the balance of power to one that was more interesting, more egalitarian, or maybe I am just re-writing history to look the way I think it should. Life may at times be like a box of chocolate, but I think it’s more like a game of chess – it’s more choice and strategy than chance in my opinion and because of that, we have more control over it than we think.
What would I teach my boys? All of the above and that life without a strong queen is not only dull and uninteresting, but that women have something of value to offer and that it shouldn’t surprise them. They should expect it. Furthermore, with the right one, they will conquer life together, for better or worse. But all my preaching aside, the game may teach it better than I ever could.
If I had a daughter, I would offer virtually the same advice to her – and, I would teach her to play chess not just as a filter for suitors, but for what she may learn about herself and her place in this world. Kings need queens as much as queens need kings.
Greta Hyland has a Masters degree in Environmental Policy & Management and has worked for the BLM and the NPS as well as for non-profit organizations. She is a regular contributor to the Utah Adventure Journal and is the Copy Editor at the Independent. She writes regularly on her blog about environmental policy issues affecting the southwest, as well as personal narratives about outdoor recreation and simple living. Her blog can be found at www.thesouthwestjournal.wordpress.com A Utah native, Greta is a consummate desert rat and loves exploring the southwest. She can be reached at [email protected].
