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Article: Queenly power games; When chess queens, female rulers held sway.(BOOKS)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- July 25, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Washington Times LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Doug Bandow, SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Chess dates from the sixth century. But the pieces and rules have changed.Perhaps most significant is the emergence of the queen, the game's most powerful piece.
How did this happen? Marilyn Yalom assumes it came from more than a desire to speed up the game. Mrs. Yalom, who has often written from a feminist perspective, contends: "While there were few women rulers before the fifteenth century whose names can be definitely linked to the game, the reality of female rule was undoubtedly entwined with the emergence and evolution of the chess queen."
The thesis is intriguing but ultimately ...