|
So, chess developed from games developed around India or Persia. Following the Muslim conquest of Persia in the mid-7th century, shatranj moved throughout the Arab world, moving into Europe through Spain and central and eastern Europe around the 9th century.
Although the earliest shatranj pieces were figural and representational, Islam's strict prohibitions on idolatry and iconography caused shatranj sets to typically follow an abstract pattern, which initially was copied in Christian and pagan Europe.
12th century Persian
Scandinavian knight 9th-10th century
French rook, 10th-11th century
Scandinavian set, 11th century
English whalebone set, 11th century
Spanish elephant (bishop), 12th century
In Europe, representational pieces became popular again, such as the Isle of Lewis chessmen.
Scandinavian bishop, 13th century
The Staunton pattern developed during intense chess development in the 19th century.
Standards of Chess Equipment for FIDE Tournaments: The King`s height should be about 9.5 cm. The diameter of the King`s base should measure 40 to 50% of its height.
The size of the other pieces should be proportionate to their height and form; other elements such as stability, aesthetic considerations etc., may also be taken into account.
The weight of the pieces should be suitable for comfortable moving and stability.
...Recommended for use in FIDE competitions are pieces of new Staunton style. The pieces should be shaped so as to be clearly distinguishable from one another. In particular the top of the King should distinctly differ from that of the Queen. The top of the Bishop may bear a notch or be of a special colour clearly distinguishing it from that of the Pawn.
...The dark pieces should be brown or black, or of other dark shades of these colours. The light pieces may be white or cream, or of other light colours. The natural colour of wood (walnut, maple, etc.) may also be used for this purpose. The pieces should not be shiny and should be pleasing to the eye.
...The board may also be of stone or marble with appropriate light and dark colours, provided the Chief Arbiter finds it acceptable. Natural wood with sufficient contrast, such as birch, maple or European ash against walnut, teak, beech, etc., may also be used for boards, which must have a dull or neutral finish, never shiny. Combination of colours such as brown, green, or very light tan and white, cream, off-white ivory, buff, etc., may be used for the chess squares in addition to natural colours. Referring to 2.2 the size of a square should be twice the diameter of a pawn's base. It is recommended that a side of the square should measure 5 to 6.5 cm.
Rather than the 8x8 board of chess, dragonchess uses three 12x8 boards: The near right corner of all three boards is white. The top board represents the sky, the middle board the ground and the bottom board the underworld.
Each player, both Gold and Scarlet, has 6 Slyphs, 1 Dragon, 2 Griffons, 12 Warriors, 2 Oliphants, 2 Unicorns, 2 Heros, 2 Thieves, 1 Cleric, 1 Paladin, 1 Mage, 1 King, 6 Dwarfs, 2 Basilisks, and 1 Elemental. That's 15 unit types and 42 individual figures, compared to the 5 unit types and 16 figures of orthodox chess.
|
|
2
Gojera