The walrus ivory-carved pieces have the bishops dressed in iconic garb during that era. However, the name Bishop could be traced back to the Lewis Chessmen of the 12th century. In Italy, it was known as “alfiere,” the standard bearer in their language. It was known as “fou,” which means the jester or fool in France. The Persians also use “pil,” which means elephant as well.Īs chess entered European territory, the term used for the piece became more complex. The Bishop also has a fascinating history as it is known as “hasti,” which means elephant in Sanskrit. This association would then result in the chess piece being called “torre” and “castello,” which are Spanish words for tower and castle, respectively. The most known theory on how the Rook piece came to be is that the Persian word “rukh” sounds close to the Italian word “rocca,” an old Italian word for fortress. The Persians use the term “rukh,” which also means chariot. It started as a chariot, but somehow became a castle tower! During the chaturanga, it was known as “ratha” in Sanskrit, which means chariot. The rook has a rather interesting point of origin. However, as chaturanga’s influence spread westward - the piece now refers to the horse mount, the rider, or the movement it makes.Įxamples are “cavallo,” which is a horse in Spanish, “riddari,” which means rider in Icelandic, and “springare,” which refers to the springing motion of the chess piece in Sweden. The knight was initially known as “asva,” Sanskrit for horse, due to its game mechanic where it can jump over other pieces. (Image: 18percentgrey via Dreamstime) The Knight Spain used ‘peon,’ and the Danes used ‘bonde’ for the pawn piece as the word translates to a farmer, as they were used in Medieval Warfare as cannon fodder.
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