Tuesday, January 23, 2024

If Chess Pieces Were People



Chess is a game that takes five minutes to learn to play and a lifetime to master. We are the players, and we command an army of pieces that all have different talents and abilities. If those pieces could talk, they would reflect those talents in their own way. Kings throw their weight around because they are secretly weak. The knight has plenty of confidence, even hubris, but he's a bit hard to control. The pawns just want to advance, but they have little opportunity. The rook is loyal, but not too smart. And being the only female on the board, the queen is ignored or dismissed, even though she is honestly the most powerful of them all. Frank James, who embodies all the chess pieces, illustrates the chaos of a simple game of chess when there's no real supervision. It's a good thing the actual game is control by two people instead of this hoard of miscreants.


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