Recent excavations at James Madison’s Virginia estate have unearthed fragments that are believed to be parts of the President's chess set.
The news story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_madison_s_chess_pawns
Although several of the founding fathers were very fond of chess, most famously Benjamin Franklin, few people in Colonial America played chess. It is therefore fairly likely that these chess pieces would have belonged to the fourth President, and not some other member of the household.
In connection with this archaeological find, ChessRight.com is offering a new poster of Chess in the Revolutionary Era (http://chessright.com/product_info.php?products_id=395). Although James Madison is not pictured, the historic detail of the poster (including the pre-Staunton style pieces) shows the game to be taking place in the Tea Room at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, around 1783. The Yahoo news story tells us that Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, fellow Virginians, played chess often. Perhaps James was not in attendance on this particular day because he was busy writing the US Constitution (which would be adopted in 1787).
Be sure to visit www.ChessRight.com soon.
Showing posts with label chess pieces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chess pieces. Show all posts
Friday, February 25, 2011
Knights Tour
KNIGHT'S TOUR
Q: Is it possible for a knight to tour an entire chessboard in such a way that it visits each square exactly once?
A: Visit http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/4287/title/A_Magic_Knights_Tour for the solution.
Please visit www.ChessRight.com today
Q: Is it possible for a knight to tour an entire chessboard in such a way that it visits each square exactly once?
A: Visit http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/4287/title/A_Magic_Knights_Tour for the solution.
Please visit www.ChessRight.com today
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Holidays are coming ...
We are told that the holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve - are the most festive time of the year. I certainly love the strings of colored lights that push the advancing darkness back, at least a little. But some of the not-so-delightful rituals of the season are the family gatherings. Maybe your family is the perfect picture of warmth and congeniality that would make Norman Rockwell smile. If so, good for you. For the rest of us, take heart. Here are some tips for surviving these get-togethers.
Psychologists say that it is important to learn to listen to each other. (I’m not sure how this bit of advice and guidance is supposed to help, since listening is the fastest way to rediscover how wrong they really are!) We are instructed to find ways to communicate respectfully and build connections. One important step that is supposed to reduce the confrontational quality of our family holiday gatherings is to surrender our personal desire to be right. Psychologists won’t say this, but I can tell you that the only good way to win a family argument is to outlive your antagonists.
I would like to add a thought to this list of suggestions - Bring out a chess set! Chess is really a fabulous game to introduce into your holiday festivities. Lousy weather is not a factor. Chess is exceptional in its capacity to span the generations (Junior can challenge Grandpa), to cut across many ages (from elementary school children to adult), and to allow the girls to compete with the boys. Chess can channel the competitiveness and maintain a certain level of sportsmanship. It’s got lots of possibilities - and with luck you can whomp your arrogant brother-in-law at last.
So stop by Chess Right Chess Shop (at http://www.ChessRight.com) before you head out to your family get-together and find a chess set just right for your game. Drop us a note with your purchase and we can send your selection via expedited shipping (for an upgraded fee).
We are pulling for you.
FEATURED PRODUCT:
The Einstein Touch Chess Computer is priced right for the holidays at just $34.00 plus shipping. Check it out at http://chessright.com/product_info.php?cPath=32&products_id=381 today.
We have many new products arriving so please check back with ChessRight.com often.
Looking for something in particular? Need replacement pieces? Let us know and we can help you search.
Keep playing chess!
Psychologists say that it is important to learn to listen to each other. (I’m not sure how this bit of advice and guidance is supposed to help, since listening is the fastest way to rediscover how wrong they really are!) We are instructed to find ways to communicate respectfully and build connections. One important step that is supposed to reduce the confrontational quality of our family holiday gatherings is to surrender our personal desire to be right. Psychologists won’t say this, but I can tell you that the only good way to win a family argument is to outlive your antagonists.
I would like to add a thought to this list of suggestions - Bring out a chess set! Chess is really a fabulous game to introduce into your holiday festivities. Lousy weather is not a factor. Chess is exceptional in its capacity to span the generations (Junior can challenge Grandpa), to cut across many ages (from elementary school children to adult), and to allow the girls to compete with the boys. Chess can channel the competitiveness and maintain a certain level of sportsmanship. It’s got lots of possibilities - and with luck you can whomp your arrogant brother-in-law at last.
So stop by Chess Right Chess Shop (at http://www.ChessRight.com) before you head out to your family get-together and find a chess set just right for your game. Drop us a note with your purchase and we can send your selection via expedited shipping (for an upgraded fee).
We are pulling for you.
FEATURED PRODUCT:
The Einstein Touch Chess Computer is priced right for the holidays at just $34.00 plus shipping. Check it out at http://chessright.com/product_info.php?cPath=32&products_id=381 today.
We have many new products arriving so please check back with ChessRight.com often.
Looking for something in particular? Need replacement pieces? Let us know and we can help you search.
Keep playing chess!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
New Distributor for Lord of the Rings Handpainted Chess Set
LORD OF THE RINGS CHESS PIECES
Recent changes here at the Chess Right Chess Shop include a new distributor for Studio Anne Carlton's handpainted Lord of the Rings chess pieces. This set is offered on the House of Staunton website for $299.00 (plus $8 handling charges, plus shipping costs). Through this exciting new arrangement, we can offer this same set of Tolkien's beloved characters for half the price ... for a limited time! See our special offer now.
But WAIT! (as the TV pitchmen would say) We aren't finished yet!
Enter the coupon code "Blog" at checkout to receive an additional 10% off your purchase.
Not interested in that set? That's OK - this coupon has been coded to take 10% off ANY purchase of ANY item(s) totalling $150.00 or more. This coupon code is offered on this blog only and will expire at the end of October 2010. So visit Chess Right Chess Shop today to take advantage of this special 0ffer -- for yourself or to get an early start on your Christmas shopping for that special someone.
We are celebrating this exceptional special and we want you to join in the savings - please visit Chess Right Chess Shop today. (Remember: enter the coupon code "Blog" at checkout to get 10% off any purchase of $150.00 or more while this offer lasts).
Recent changes here at the Chess Right Chess Shop include a new distributor for Studio Anne Carlton's handpainted Lord of the Rings chess pieces. This set is offered on the House of Staunton website for $299.00 (plus $8 handling charges, plus shipping costs). Through this exciting new arrangement, we can offer this same set of Tolkien's beloved characters for half the price ... for a limited time! See our special offer now.
But WAIT! (as the TV pitchmen would say) We aren't finished yet!
Enter the coupon code "Blog" at checkout to receive an additional 10% off your purchase.
Not interested in that set? That's OK - this coupon has been coded to take 10% off ANY purchase of ANY item(s) totalling $150.00 or more. This coupon code is offered on this blog only and will expire at the end of October 2010. So visit Chess Right Chess Shop today to take advantage of this special 0ffer -- for yourself or to get an early start on your Christmas shopping for that special someone.
We are celebrating this exceptional special and we want you to join in the savings - please visit Chess Right Chess Shop today. (Remember: enter the coupon code "Blog" at checkout to get 10% off any purchase of $150.00 or more while this offer lasts).
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
THE IDES OF MARCH
THE IDES OF MARCH
Calling all Classicists! “The Ides of March” refers to the middle of the month, the 15th of March, a day that was once celebrated with a parade in honor of Ares, the God of War. History holds that on the 15th of March in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar, Roman dictator for life, was assassinated in the capital city of Rome. A seeress had warned Caesar of this event, in the phrase later coined by Shakespeare, “Beware of the Ides of March!”
So it is fitting for the month of March that we here at Chess Right should welcome TWO new decorative chess sets with Roman themes. From the Studio of Anne Carlton, the Roman Chess Men are made of durable polyresin and ground stone. Our introductory price: $104.00 includes shipping anywhere in the U.S. and comes with a money-back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied. From the Studios of Ital Fama, the Roman Bust Chessmen are cast in metal by Italian artisans. Our introductory price: $426.00 includes shipping anywhere in the U.S. and comes with several options and premiums (please see our store for details).
Choose either one of these sets to add a bit of classic history to your home and your chess game. Now you can help Caesar renew his quest for world domination.
To add a quick note of perspective to our current national situation, Cicero was a Roman orator of the same approximate historical time period as Julius Caesar. Cicero had warned of the dangers to the Roman Republic when the citizens learned they could “vote open the doors of the Treasury.” One quote attributed to Cicero urges that “The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced … the mobs should be forced to work and not depend on government for subsistence.” Sounds like something that could just as well have been said in our own era, doesn’t it?
TIME CHANGE
A new video about Speed Chess has been added to the page called “Playing Chess” (as have some more announcements regarding upcoming tournaments around the U.S.). If Speed Chess looks like something you could enjoy, please be sure to check out our assortment of chess clocks for the one that fits your style and budget.
Visit ChessRight.com today for these and many more chess products!
Calling all Classicists! “The Ides of March” refers to the middle of the month, the 15th of March, a day that was once celebrated with a parade in honor of Ares, the God of War. History holds that on the 15th of March in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar, Roman dictator for life, was assassinated in the capital city of Rome. A seeress had warned Caesar of this event, in the phrase later coined by Shakespeare, “Beware of the Ides of March!”
So it is fitting for the month of March that we here at Chess Right should welcome TWO new decorative chess sets with Roman themes. From the Studio of Anne Carlton, the Roman Chess Men are made of durable polyresin and ground stone. Our introductory price: $104.00 includes shipping anywhere in the U.S. and comes with a money-back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied. From the Studios of Ital Fama, the Roman Bust Chessmen are cast in metal by Italian artisans. Our introductory price: $426.00 includes shipping anywhere in the U.S. and comes with several options and premiums (please see our store for details).
Choose either one of these sets to add a bit of classic history to your home and your chess game. Now you can help Caesar renew his quest for world domination.
To add a quick note of perspective to our current national situation, Cicero was a Roman orator of the same approximate historical time period as Julius Caesar. Cicero had warned of the dangers to the Roman Republic when the citizens learned they could “vote open the doors of the Treasury.” One quote attributed to Cicero urges that “The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced … the mobs should be forced to work and not depend on government for subsistence.” Sounds like something that could just as well have been said in our own era, doesn’t it?
TIME CHANGE
A new video about Speed Chess has been added to the page called “Playing Chess” (as have some more announcements regarding upcoming tournaments around the U.S.). If Speed Chess looks like something you could enjoy, please be sure to check out our assortment of chess clocks for the one that fits your style and budget.
Visit ChessRight.com today for these and many more chess products!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
New Chess Image
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I have been working with my new digital camera and my Paint Shop software. I would say that the results have been tasty, but the play on the words is too much even for me. But you can zoom off to the chess shop in a twinkling if you click on this link: www.ChessRight.com (I put the image on the shipping page. No reason. Can't figure out where else it should go ...)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Chess Pieces
What do the chess pieces mean? Is there some sort of symbolism?
There are thirty-two pieces in a chess set; eight pawns, two castles or “rooks,” two knights, two bishops, one queen and one king of each color. Their meanings refer back to the Middle Ages when the game was brought into Europe by the Muslim Moors.
The king and queen are the monarchy, exactly as they appear. The bishops were the representatives of the Church, very much a part of everyone’s life in the Middle Ages. The knights were mounted warriors, thus the use of the horse’s head to represent this piece. These are the only professional soldiers in the game. The castles refer to the king’s home. The pawns are the peasants, the foot soldiers, and like every society there are more of them than any of the other pieces.
Interestingly, the term “freelance” comes from this same period. Originally, the term referred to any knight who was not sworn to any army, but was “free” to carry his own “lance” (weapon) for anyone who would pay him.
If the chess pieces came from the Moors, why is there a cross on top of the king? And why would the queen be so powerful in a Muslim game?
The Europeans put the cross on the king’s head as something of a modification in defiance of their Moorish neighbors. It was their way of taking this game and making it their own. But relations between Christians and Muslims in the Moorish occupation of Spain were not as hostile as this may sound. See our new poster on our website for an historic chess game in the Spanish court. (www.ChessRight.com Books, etc. POSTER: King Alfonse X)
As for the queen, when the game first came into Spain, that piece was originally the king’s vizier, his most trusted counselor. Many scholars believe that the powerful queen that served as the inspiration for the modern chess piece was Queen Isabella of Spain, although in those days the piece did not move quite like the modern game piece.
There are thirty-two pieces in a chess set; eight pawns, two castles or “rooks,” two knights, two bishops, one queen and one king of each color. Their meanings refer back to the Middle Ages when the game was brought into Europe by the Muslim Moors.
The king and queen are the monarchy, exactly as they appear. The bishops were the representatives of the Church, very much a part of everyone’s life in the Middle Ages. The knights were mounted warriors, thus the use of the horse’s head to represent this piece. These are the only professional soldiers in the game. The castles refer to the king’s home. The pawns are the peasants, the foot soldiers, and like every society there are more of them than any of the other pieces.
Interestingly, the term “freelance” comes from this same period. Originally, the term referred to any knight who was not sworn to any army, but was “free” to carry his own “lance” (weapon) for anyone who would pay him.
If the chess pieces came from the Moors, why is there a cross on top of the king? And why would the queen be so powerful in a Muslim game?
The Europeans put the cross on the king’s head as something of a modification in defiance of their Moorish neighbors. It was their way of taking this game and making it their own. But relations between Christians and Muslims in the Moorish occupation of Spain were not as hostile as this may sound. See our new poster on our website for an historic chess game in the Spanish court. (www.ChessRight.com Books, etc. POSTER: King Alfonse X)
As for the queen, when the game first came into Spain, that piece was originally the king’s vizier, his most trusted counselor. Many scholars believe that the powerful queen that served as the inspiration for the modern chess piece was Queen Isabella of Spain, although in those days the piece did not move quite like the modern game piece.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
How to Play Chess: The Pieces
This video covers the basic moves of the various chess pieces. (for the Novice)
Visit Chess Right Chess Store to get your chess set today, and play chess often!
Visit Chess Right Chess Store to get your chess set today, and play chess often!
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