𝔼𝕩𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕒@lemmy.world to Lemmy Shitpost@lemmy.world · 2 months agoCheckmatelemmy.worldimagemessage-square59fedilinkarrow-up11arrow-down10cross-posted to: [email protected][email protected]
arrow-up11arrow-down1imageCheckmatelemmy.world𝔼𝕩𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕒@lemmy.world to Lemmy Shitpost@lemmy.world · 2 months agomessage-square59fedilinkcross-posted to: [email protected][email protected]
minus-squareEiri@lemmy.calinkfedilinkarrow-up0·2 months agoI’d never questioned it before now, but … How come the towers move? Who had that idea? The jesters moving diagonally because they’re whimsical I guess but the towers are quite odd.
minus-squareEiri@lemmy.calinkfedilinkarrow-up0·2 months agoSorry. Did a direct translation of the French name without thinking.
minus-squareapolo399@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up0·2 months agoI’ll add Spanish! “Alfil”, taken from arabic “(al-)fil”, taken from persian “pil”, meaning “the elephant”, since at some point in the past the piece was, evidently, an elephant.
minus-squarewieson@feddit.orglinkfedilinkarrow-up0·2 months agoYou may look a bit beyond the edge of the anglophone world.
minus-squarelime!@feddit.nulinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·2 months agowell in my language they’re “runners” so i guess i should have thought a bit harder there…
minus-squareKnock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up0·2 months agoThe rook was initially a chariot.
minus-squareulterno@lemmy.kde.sociallinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·2 months agoTowers are made of stone
minus-squareSamsy@lemmy.mllinkfedilinkarrow-up0·edit-22 months agoOkay since nobody did a serious answer, here we go: tl;dr: its a translation/interpretation error. The first documented forms of chess are all “war machines” of their time the tower was a Charioteer. When chess hits Europe someone translated charioteer with tower. Idk why, maybe because the used figures looked like a tower. And a charioteer move on a battlefield would be a storming through everything in one direction.
minus-squareEiri@lemmy.calinkfedilinkarrow-up0·2 months agoI kinda wish we’d kept the name chariot. It sounds more epic.
I’d never questioned it before now, but … How come the towers move? Who had that idea?
The jesters moving diagonally because they’re whimsical I guess but the towers are quite odd.
jesters? they’re bishops…
Potato potato
Sorry. Did a direct translation of the French name without thinking.
well, til!
And in German they’re “Runners”
I’ll add Spanish! “Alfil”, taken from arabic “(al-)fil”, taken from persian “pil”, meaning “the elephant”, since at some point in the past the piece was, evidently, an elephant.
You may look a bit beyond the edge of the anglophone world.
well in my language they’re “runners” so i guess i should have thought a bit harder there…
The rook was initially a chariot.
Towers are made of stone
Okay since nobody did a serious answer, here we go:
tl;dr: its a translation/interpretation error.
The first documented forms of chess are all “war machines” of their time the tower was a Charioteer.
When chess hits Europe someone translated charioteer with tower. Idk why, maybe because the used figures looked like a tower.
And a charioteer move on a battlefield would be a storming through everything in one direction.
I kinda wish we’d kept the name chariot. It sounds more epic.
Definetly.