Birth of the Chess Queen: A History

This excerpt from Marilyn Yalom's Birth of the Chess Queen explores the historical evolution of the chess queen piece, tracing its development from a weak advisor to its modern powerful form. Yalom connects the queen's increasing power on the chessboard to the rising prominence of real-life queens in European politics and culture during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The book examines the game's spread across Europe, highlighting the roles of influential queens and exploring cultural and religious influences on its development and depictions. The text uses examples from various historical sources, including literary works, chess pieces, and religious texts, to build its argument. Finally, Yalom discusses the eventual masculinization of chess and the ongoing debate about the relative playing abilities of men and women.