European Social Class and Chess
By Chris Leonard
Chess Board
King
• The centerpiece of the game and the only
chess piece that cannot be captured. The King
moves one square in any direction. Because
the King must be carefully guarded against
checkmate, the King is rarely used as a fighting
piece until the last stages of the game.
beta.uschess.org/frontend/section_12.php
Queen
• The most valuable piece in chess, which can
move on diagonals (like bishops) and in
straight lines (like the rooks). In Medieval
Europe, the queen was the weakest piece on
the board, and her sudden change in powers
in the 16th century quickened the pace of the
game. ...
beta.uschess.org/frontend/section_12.php
Bishop
• A minor piece (with the approximate value of
3 pawns) which moves on diagonals. Each
player begins with two bishops on opposite
colors. Both bishops can never meet. Each
bishop controls half the squares on the chess
board, therefore, both bishops can control all
the squares on the board. ...
www.geocities.com/allentownchess/terms.ht
ml
Knights
• The knight is special because it is the only
piece than can move through other pieces.
When a knight moves, first it goes two squares
in one of the four ways a rook can move. Then
the knight ends its move by going one square
to the side. The knight is said to move in the
shape of an L. ...
simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess
Rook or Castle
• A major chess piece. The Rook's strength is
equivalent to five pawns. The Rook can only
move in straight lines along ranks and files
until stopped by another piece. The Rook is
the piece, other than the King, that is involved
in the castling move. ...
www.geocities.com/allentownchess/terms.ht
ml
Pawn
• The pawn () is the weakest and most
numerous piece in the game of chess,
representing infantry, or more particularly
pikemen. Each player begins the game with
eight pawns, one on each square of the
second rank from the view of the player. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawn (chess)
European Representation
King Queen Bishop knight RookPawn -
King
Queen
Church
Knight
Castle
Peasant