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Themes of Chess in Literature

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Chess in Literature and Literature in Chess

Chess has long been associated with intricate strategies, and the people who play it are often attributed with skills in deductive reasoning. Many authors have used this association to signal readers that there are sub-plots, undercurrents or hidden dangers afoot.

Here, chess has intersected with literature -- and moved back again. Chess has often been employed in literature to move the storyline forward. But here are some chess sets which have drawn their inspiration from literature, essentially completing a very interesting circle.

Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Allen Poe is reputed to have written the first detective story in the modern genre with The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841). Poe uses the chess motif in some of his works, but clearly with little technical expertise and not much liking. He referred to the game as "frivolous" and compared it unfavorably with checkers.

It was Poe who began the image of the chess aficionado as the nearly-machine-like semi-human villain with many schemes and few emotions.

Sherlock Holmes

"The Adventure of the Retired Colourman"

As games of chess are usually associated with reasoning skills, it is not surprising that at least one case of Sherlock Holmes' should have themes of chess. Sherlock Holmes' reputation as a brilliant thinker made it almost inevitable that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would employ a theme of chess into one of the detective's cases. Sherlock Holmes, however, does not engage in the chess games himself during the story, The Adventure of the Retired Colourman.

Holmes' client, Josiah Amberley, and his neighbor, Dr. Ray Ernest, play two games of chess early in the story. Like the Harry Potter story, these chess games contain a lot of parallelism with the plot to follow. In the first game, Dr. Ernest "takes" Josiah Amberley's queen, a foreshadowing of the love affair to come between him and Amberley's wife. In the second game, Amberley "sacrifices" his queen, foretelling her end. Holmes declares this interest in chess is indicative of a scheming mind. In an unusual variation on the typical Sherlock Holmes case, in The Adventure of the Retired Colourman, it is Sherlock Holmes' client who has much to hide.

Chess players frequently admire Sherlock Holmes for his use of logical thinking and deductive reasoning. Although Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's opinion of chess players is not recorded, Sherlock Holmes comments that playing chess is "the mark of a scheming mind." Sadly, it does not appear that Sherlock Holmes returns the admiration so many chess players have for him.

Sherlock Holmes Chess Set

Buy this collector's chess set from www.ChessRight.com !!
This incredibly detailed chess set depicts the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes is featured as the King and his opponents are lead by his arch enemy Professor Moriarty, with the fearsome Hound of the Baskervilles depicting the Knight. Sherlock is accompanied on his adventures by his faithful companion Doctor Watson, while the rest of the set features other leading characters from the famous stories including Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Lestrade, Irene Adler and Colonel Moran. These carefully designed pieces are based on the original drawings that appeared in the Strand Magazine to accompany the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Buy this set from www.ChessRight.com today!
Direct link to Sherlock Holmes Chess Set

Alice in Wonderland

"Through the Looking Glass"

Although Alice in Wonderland is often thought to contain references to the game of chess, this is actually a popular misconception. Lewis Carroll did indeed write a tale about Alice interacting with several chess pieces, including the Red Queen, but these interactions occur in Carroll's second book, Through the Looking Glass (published in 1871), and not in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (published in 1865). The later story contains both a red and white queen, a red and white king, a red and white knight, and there is even a description of "pawn-promotion" when the Red Queen tries to explain to Alice that a pawn, such as Alice, can become a queen, such as herself, by reaching the eighth square at the far side of the board. It is also this Red Queen, and not the Queen of Hearts from the earlier story, who originally says that "all the ways about here belong to me," despite Disney's movie script to the contrary. It makes much more sense for a chess queen to make such a statement instead of a playing card, given the many ways that a chess queen can move about a chess board.

While both 'Alice' stories contain a substantial amount of nonsense, they have delighted children for many years. The ingenious and often inscrutable characters have captured the imaginations of generations of children and, as the stories are often blurred together, it seems virtually inevitable that a chess set of 'Wonderland' figures should be available.

Alice in Wonderland Chess Set

Without a doubt, this is one of the most popular Studio Anne Carlton chess sets and has been for many years. The pieces are based on the characters in Lewis Carroll's famous Alice stories. It continues to achieve record sales world-wide and is a MUST for every chess enthusiast and collector. Made entirely by skilled craftsmen, each piece is polished and finely decorated by artists.

Direct link to Alice in Wonderland Chess Set at www.ChessRight.com

A designer "Alice" set

This is the "Alice" set by designer Yasmin Sethi.

See more about this chess set on the designer's website.

It does not appear to be available for sale. My guess is it is just a prototype. So admire it from the pictures ... then cruise over to www.ChessRight.com to find a beautiful chess set to own.

Agatha Christie

One of the more technically proficient recountings of a game of chess in a detective novel was penned by Agatha Christie in The Big Four (1927). In this story, a chess master was murdered by a strong electrical shock dealt him in the third move of his Ruy Lopez opening. In anticipation of his opening, the electical connection was rigged to the square on the board through the floor from the apartment below. Here Agatha Christie's chess player is the victim, not the scheming villain.

Lord Of the Rings

The greatest fantasy epic of our times is the three book set by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings. In this story, elves, dwarves, mythical creatures and wizards are locked into the classic struggle of good versus evil, of light and darkness. If you have never read this set of books, perhaps it is time you should. You can buy this popular set of books at most book stores, including the Book Cellar online.

Lord of the Rings Chess Set

Reduced! On sale for $169.00 today

This chess set depicts the characters from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. In the magical land of Middle-earth, Elves, Men, Dwarves, Hobbits, Orcs, and many other creatures dwell. The evil Lord Sauron secretly forged the "One Ring to Rule Them All" and set in motion the classic struggle between good and evil. These epic books were adapted to the movie screen, and now the characters are rendered for the chess board.
Visit www.ChessRight.com today to purchase your set. Walnut chess board (shown) is not included.

Harry Potter

"Wizard's Chess"

In J K Rowling's book, The Sorcerer's Stone, and in the movie based on the book, Harry Potter and his friend Ron have several scenes which include someone (usually Ron) is playing "wizard's chess." When "wizard's chess" is first introduced into the story, Ron is playing in the dining hall as an extracurricular pursuit. As the plot is building to its climactic confrontation between Harry Potter and his wicked nemesis, the school kids are caught up in a life-size, life-threatening contest of "wizard's chess." Ron recognizes the parallelism of the game in which they are ensnared and the larger context of pursuing the villain, and he proposes a "sacrifice" move that will propel Harry forward beyond the chess board into the ultimate confrontation with his evil adversary.

The game of chess in this story is representative of the complex challenges of pursuing the Dark Lord and the use of reasoning skills to overcome these challenges. The symbolism includes the presence of undercurrents and treacherous subplots, and as a literary tool, stresses the need to proceed cautiously and warily.

In the Warner Brothers' movie, this dramatic scene is portrayed by an enlarged set of chess pieces in the design of the Isle of Lewis chess pieces. Although these pieces already had an historic tale of their own, this inclusion in the movie has overtaken their earlier story and these pieces will forever be remembered by movie-goers as the "Harry Potter" chess set.

Harry Potter Chess Set

"the Isle of Lewis Chessmen"

These chess pieces are replicas of the originals which were discovered on the Isle of Lewis off the West Coast of Scotland and which are now housed in the Museum of London and in Edinburgh. Many pieces were discovered and this interpretation of the Isle of Lewis Chess Set a must have.

Available for purchase from www.ChessRight.com today.
Direct link to Harry Potter Chess Set

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  • Reply
    TommyLee Nov 7, 2008 @ 11:18 pm | delete
    Good job. I wonder why more people haven't commented because this is a great lens with tons of info! I wish I could buy the alice in wonderland set (but I'm broke lol)

    I'm trying to keep mine up to date as well: http://www.squidoo.com/learnchess got any suggestions for it?
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Ann Wamack is a freelance writer in Oregon.

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