Thursday, September 15, 2011

King Of The World


Chess is sometimes referred to as the game of kings, but has an amazingly wide and enduring appeal, it cuts across so much that can divide us: age, class, nationality, race. It's a logical game often played in an abstract, notated form, and yet the fact that the pieces have characters and distinct roles somehow catches our imagination. This personification causes the game to be of interest even to those who don't play and it has often been depicted in art and fiction, many times as a metaphor. How does chess mirror life? Well, in a recent twist of fate, my life has resembled that of a game of chess that has been picked up from the table (board and all) the pieces slid indiscriminately back into the box and then put up on the shelf. I am in a dimly lit box with many others who's rank and title I cannot readily discern. Even my own social station is uncertain at this time. But I'm pretty sure I was a Knight.