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"The Symbolism of Chess" - an essay by Titus Burckhardt

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by
TitusBurckhardt
Source:StudiesinComparativeReligion,Vol.3,No.2.(Spring1969)WorldWisdom,Inc.
www.studiesincomparativereligion.com

ITisknownthatthegameofchessoriginatedinIndia.ItwaspassedontothemedievalWestthroughtheintermediaryofthePersiansand
the Arabs, a fact to which we owe, for example, the expression "checkmate", (German: Schachmatt)which is derived from the Persian
shah:"king"andtheArabicmat:"heisdead".AtthetimeoftheRenaissancesomeoftherulesofthegamewerechanged:thequeen[1]
andthetwobishops[2]weregivenagreatermobility,andthenceforththegameacquiredamoreabstractandmathematicalcharacterit
departed from its concrete model strategy, without however losing the essential features of its symbolism. In the original position of the
chessmen,theancientstrategicmodelremainsobviousonecanrecognizethetwoarmiesrangedaccordingtothebattleorderwhichwas
customary in theancient East: thelight troops, represented by the pawns, form the first line the bulk of thearmy consists of the heavy
troops, the war chariots ("castles"), the knights ("cavalry") and the war elephants ("bishops") the "king" with his "lady" or "counsellor" is
positionedatthecentreofhistroops.
Theformofthechessboardcorrespondstothe"classical"typeofVstumandala,thediagramwhichalsoconstitutesthebasiclayoutofa
templeoracity.Ithasbeenpointedout[3]thatthisdiagramsymbolizesexistenceconceivedasa"fieldofaction"ofthedivinepowers.The
combatwhichtakesplaceinthegameofchessthusrepresents,initsmostuniversalmeaning,thecombatofthedevaswiththeasuras,of
the"gods"withthe"titans",oroftheangels[4]withthe"demons",allothermeaningsofthegamederivingfromthisone.
Themostancientdescriptionofthegameofchesswhichwepossessappearsin"TheGoldenPrairies"bytheArabhistorianalMasd,
who lived in Bagdad in the 9th century. AlMasd attributes the inventionor codificationof the game to a Hindu king "Balhit", a
descendantof"Barahman".Thereisanobviousconfusionherebetweenacaste,thatoftheBrahmins,andadynastybutthatthegameof
chess has a brahmanic origin is proved by the eminently sacerdotal character of the diagram of 8 x 8 squares (ashtpada).Further,the
warlikesymbolismofthegamerelatesittotheKshatriyas,thecasteofprincesandnobles,asalMasdindicateswhenhewritesthatthe
Hindusconsideredthegameofchess(shatranj,fromtheSanscritChaturanga)[5]asa"schoolofgovernmentanddefence".KingBalhitis
saidtohavecomposedabookonthegameofwhich"hemadeasortofallegoryoftheheavenlybodies,suchastheplanetsandthetwelve
signsoftheZodiac,consecratingeachpiecetoastar..."ItmayberecalledthattheHindusrecognizeeightplanets:thesun,themoon,the
fiveplanetsvisibletothenakedeye,andRhu,the"darkstar"oftheeclipses[6]eachofthese"planets"rulesoneoftheeightdirectionsof
space. "The Indians", continues al Masd, "give a mysterious meaning to the redoubling, that is to say to the geometrical progression,
effectedonthesquaresofthechessboardtheyestablisharelationshipbetweenthefirstcause,whichdominatesallthespheresandin
which everything finds its end, and the sum of the squares of the chessboard . . ." Here the author is probably confusing the cyclical
symbolism implied in the ashteipadaand the famous legend according to which the inventor of the game asked the monarch to fill the
squaresofhischessboardwithgrainsofcorn,byplacingonegrainonthefirst,twoonthefollowing,fouronthethird,andsoonuptothe
sixtyfourthsquare,whichgivesthesumof18,446,744,973,709,551,661grains.Thecyclicalsymbolismofthechessboardresidesinthe
factthatitexpressestheunfoldingofspaceaccordingtothequaternaryandoctonaryoftheprincipaldirections(4x4x4=8x8),andthat
it synthesizes, in crystalline form, the two great complementary cycles of sun and moon: the duodenary of the zodiac and the 28 lunar
mansions furthermore, the number 64, the sum of the squares on the chessboard, is a submultiple of the fundamental cyclic number
25920,whichmeasurestheprecessionoftheequinoxes.Wehaveseenthateachphaseofacycle,fixedintheschemeof8x8squares,
is ruled by a heavenly body and at the same time symbolizes a divine aspect, personified by a deva.[7] It is thus that this mandala
symbolizes at one and the same time the visible cosmos, the world of the Spirit and the Divinity in its multiple aspects. Al Masd is
thereforerighttosaythattheIndiansexplain,"bycalculationsbasedonthechessboard,themarchoftimeandthecycles,thesuperior
influenceswhichareexertedonthisworld,andthebondswhichattachthemtothehumansoul..."
The cyclical symbolism of the chessboard was known to King Alphonsus the Wise, the famous troubadour of Castille, who in 1283
composedhisLibrosdeAcedrex,aworkwhichdrawslargelyfromOrientalsources.[8]AlphonsustheWisealsodescribesaveryancient
variantofthegameofchess,the"gameofthefourseasons",whichtakesplacebetweenfourpartners,sothatthepieces,placedinthefour
cornersofthechessboard,moveinarotatorydirection,analogoustothemovementofthesun.The4X8piecesmusthavethecolours
green,red,black,andwhitetheycorrespondtothefourseasons:spring,summer,autumn,andwintertothefourelements:air,fire,earth,
and water, and to the four organic "humours". The movement of the four camps symbolizes cyclical transformation.[9] This game, which
strangely resembles certain "solar" rites and dances of the Indians of North America, brings into relief the fundamental principle of the
chessboard.
Thechessboardcanbeconsideredastheextensionofadiagramformedbyfoursquares,alternativelyblackandwhite,andconstitutesin
itself a mandala of Shiva, God in his aspect of transformer: the quaternary rhythm, of which this mandala is, as it were, the spatial
"coagulation",expressestheprincipleoftime.Thefoursquares,placedaroundanunmanifestedcentre,symbolizethecardinalphasesof
every cycle. The alternation of the black and white squares in this elementary diagram of the chessboard[10] brings out its cyclical
significance[11] and makes of it the rectangular equivalent of the FarEastern symbol of yin yang. It is an image of the world in its
fundamentaldualism.[12]
Iftheworldofthesensesinitsintegraldevelopmentresultstosomeextentfromthemultiplicationofqualitiesinherentinspaceandtime,
theVstumandalaforitspartderivesfromthedivisionoftimebyspace:onemayrecallthegenesisoftheVstumandalafromthenever
endingcelestialcycle,thiscyclebeingdividedbythecardinalaxes,then"crystallized"inarectangularform.[13]Themandalaisthusthe
invertedreflectionoftheprincipialsynthesisofspaceandtime,anditisinthisthatitsontologicalsignificanceresides.
Fromanotherpointofview,theworldis"woven"fromthethreefundamentalqualitiesorgunas[14]andthemandalarepresentsthisweaving

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"The Symbolism of Chess" - an essay by Titus Burckhardt

inaschematicmanner,inconformitywiththecardinaldirectionsofspace.TheanalogybetweentheVstumandalaandweavingisbrought
outbythealternationofcolourswhichrecallsawovenfabricofwhichthewarpandthewoofarealternatelyapparentorhidden.
Moreover, the alternation of black and white corresponds to the two aspects of the mandala,which are complementary in principle but
opposedinpractice:themandalaisontheonehandaPurushamandala,thatistosayasymboloftheUniversalSpirit(Purusha)inasmuch
asitisanimmutableandtranscendentsynthesisofthecosmosontheotherhanditisasymbolofexistence(Vstu)consideredasthe
passivesupportofdivinemanifestations.ThegeometricqualityofthesymbolexpressestheSpirit,whileitspurelyquantitativeextension
expresses existence. Likewise its ideal immutability is "spirit" and its limiting coagulation is "existence" or materia here it is not materia
prima,virginandgenerous,whichisbeingreferredto,butmateriasecunda,"dark"andchaotic,whichistherootofexistentialdualism.In
thisconnectiononemayrecallthemythaccordingtowhichtheVstumandalarepresentsanasra,personificationofbruteexistence:the
devashaveconqueredthisdemonandhaveestablishedtheir"dwellingplaces"onthestretchedoutbodyoftheirvictimthustheyconfer
their"form"uponhim,butitishewhomanifeststhem.[15]
ThisdoublemeaningwhichcharacterizestheVtstuPurushamandala,andwhich,moreover,istobefoundineverysymbol,isinasense
actualizedbythecombatwhichagameofchessrepresents.Thiscombat,aswehavesaid,isessentiallythatofthedevasandtheasras,
who dispute the chessboard of the world. It is here that the symbolism of black and white, already present in the squares of the chess
board,takesonitsfullvalue:thewhitearmyisthatofLight,theblackarmythatofdarkness.Inarelativedomain,thebattlewhichtakes
placeonthechessboardrepresents,eitherthatoftwoterrestrialarmieseachofwhichisfightinginthenameofaprinciple,[16]orthatof
thespiritandofdarknessinmanthesearethetwoformsofthe"holywar"the"lesserholywar"andthe"greaterholywar",accordingtoa
saying of the Prophet Mohammed. One will see the relationship of the symbolism implied in the game of chess with the theme of the
Bhagavadgita,abookwhichislikewiseaddressedtoKshatriyas.
If the significance of the different chessmen is transposed into the spiritual domain, the king becomes the heart, or spirit, and the other
pieces the various faculties of the soul. Their movements, moreover, correspond to different ways of realizing the cosmic possibilities
representedbythechessboard:thereistheaxialmovementofthe"castles"orwarchariots,thediagonalmovementofthe"bishops"or
elephants,whichfollowasinglecolour,andthecomplexmovementoftheknights.Theaxialmovement,which"cuts"throughthedifferent
"colours",islogicalandvirile,whilethediagonalmovementcorrespondstoan"existential"andthereforefemininecontinuity.Thejumpof
theknightscorrespondstointuition.
Whatmostfascinatesthemanofnobleandwarlikecasteistherelationshipbetweenwillanddestiny.Nowitisjustthisthatissoclearly
illustrated by the game of chess, inasmuch as its moves always remain intelligible without being limited in their variation. Alphonsus the
Wise,inhisbookonchess,relateshowakingofIndiawishedtoknowwhethertheworldobeyedintelligenceorchance.Twowisemen,his
advisers, gave opposing answers, and to prove their respective theses, one of them took as his example the game of chess in which
intelligenceprevailsoverchance,whiletheotherproduceddice,thesymboloffatality.[17]
AlMasdwriteslikewisethattheking"Balhit",whoissaidtohavecodifiedthegameofchess,gaveitpreferenceovernerd,agameof
chance,becauseintheformerintelligencealwayshastheupperhandoverignorance.
Ateachstageofthegame,theplayerisfreetochoosebetweenseveralpossibilities,buteachmovementwillentailaseriesofunavoidable
consequences,sothatnecessityincreasinglylimitsfreechoice,theendofthegamebeingseen,notasthefruitofhazard,butastheresult
ofrigorouslaws.
Itisherethatweseenotonlytherelationshipbetweenwillandfate,butlikewisebetweenlibertyandknowledgeexceptinthecaseofin
advertenceonthepartofhisopponent,theplayerwillonlysafeguardhislibertyofactionwhenhisdecisionscorrespondwiththenatureof
the game, that is to say with the possibilities that the game implies. In other words, freedom of action is here in complete solidarity with
foresight and knowledge of the possibilities contrariwise, blind impulse, however free and spontaneous it may appear at first sight, is
revealedinthefinaloutcomeasanonliberty.
The "royal art" is to govern the worldoutward and inwardin conformity with its own laws. This art presupposes wisdom which is the
knowledge of possibilities now all possibilities are contained, in a synthetic manner, in the universal and divine Spirit. True wisdom is a
moreorlessperfectidentificationwiththeSpirit(Purusha),thislatterbeingsymbolizedbythegeometricalquality[18] of the chessboard,
"seal"oftheessentialunityofthecosmicpossibilities.TheSpiritisTruththroughTruth,manisfreeoutsidetruth,heistheslaveoffate.
That is the teaching of the game of chess the Kshatriyawho gives himself over to it does not only find in it a pastime or a means of
sublimating his warlike passion and his need for adventure, but also, according to his intellectual capacity, a speculative support, and a
"way"whichleadsfromactiontocontemplation.

NOTES
[1]InOrientalchessthispieceisnota"queen"buta"counsellor"or"minister"totheking(inArabicmudaffirorwazir,inPersianfersanor
fars).Thedesignation"queen"intheWesterngameisdoubtlessduetoaconfusionofthePersiantermfersan,whichbecamealfergain
Castillian, and the old French fierceorfiergefor "virgin". Be that as it may, the attribution of such a dominant rle to the king's "lady"
correspondswellwiththementalityofchivalry.ItissignificantalsothatthegameofchesswaspassedontotheWestbythatArabPersian
currentwhichalsobroughtwithitheraldicartandtheprincipalrulesofchivalry.
[2]Thispiecewasoriginallyanelephant(Arabic:alfil)whichboreafortifiedtower.Theschematicrepresentationofanelephant'sheadin
somemedievalmanuscriptscouldbetakeneitherfora"fool'scap"orabishop'smitre:inFrenchthepieceiscalledfou,"fool"inGermanit
iscalled,Lufer"runner".
[3]Seetheauthor'sSacredArtinEastandWest(PerennialBooks,London,1967),ChapterI,"TheGenesisoftheHinduTemple".
[4]ThedevasofHindumythologyareanalogoustotheangelsofthemonotheistictraditionsitisknownthateachangelcorrespondstoa
divinefunction.
[5]ThewordchaturangasignifiesthetraditionalHinduarmy,composedoffourangas=elephants,horses,chariotsandsoldiers.
[6] Hindu cosmology always takes account of the principle of inversion and exception, which results from the "ambiguous" character of
manifestation:thenatureofstarsisluminosity,butasthestarsarenotLightitself,theremustalsobeadarkone.
[7]CertainBuddhisttextsdescribetheuniverseasaboardof8x8squares,fixedbygoldencordsthesesquarescorrespondtothe64
kalpasofBuddhism(Cf.SaddharmaPundarika,Burnouf,LotusdelabonneLoi,p.148).IntheRamayana,the impregnable of the gods,
Ayodhya,isdescribedasasquarewitheightcompartmentsoneachside.Wealsorecall,intheChinesetradition,the64signswhichderive
fromthe8trigramscommentedonintheIKing.These64signsaregenerallyarrangedsoastocorrespondtotheeightregionsofspace.
Thusweagainencountertheideaofaquaternaryandoctonarydivisionofspace,whichresumesalltheaspectsoftheuniverse.
[8]In1254St.Louishadforbiddenchesstohissubjects.Thesainthadinmindthepassionswhichthegamecouldunleash,especiallyasit
wasfrequentlycombinedwiththeuseofdice.
[9]ThisvariantofchessisdescribedintheBhawisyaPurana.AlphonsustheWisealsospeaksofa"greatgameofchess"whichisplayed
onaboardof12x12squaresandofwhichthepiecesrepresentmythologicalanimalsheattributesittothesagesofIndia.

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[10]GiventhattheChinesechessboard,whichlikewisehaditsorigininIndia,doesnotpossessthealternationofthetwocolours,itistobe
assumedthatthiselementcomesfromPersiaitneverthelessremainsfaithfultotheoriginalsymbolismofthechessboard.
[11]Italsomakesofitasymbolofinverseanalogyspringandautumn,morningandeveningareinverselyanalogous.Inageneralmanner
thealternationofblackandwhitecorrespondstotherhythmofdayandnight,oflifeanddeath,ofmanifestationandofreabsorptioninthe
unmanifest.
[12]ForthisreasonthetypeofVastumandalawhichhasanunevennumberofsquarescouldnotserveasachessboard:the"battlefield"
whichthelatterrepresentscannothaveamanifestedcentre,forsymbolicallyithadtobebeyondoppositions.
[13]SeeSacredArtofEastandWest,Chapter2,"TheFoundationsofChristianArt".
[14]Cf.RenGunon,TheSymbolismoftheCross(Luzac,London,1958).
[15]Themandalaof8x8squaresisalsocalledManduka,"thefrog"byallusiontothe"GreatFrog"(mahamanduka)whichsupportsthe
wholeuniverseandwhichisthesymbolofobscureandundifferentiatedmateria.
[16] In a holy war it is possible that each of the combatants may legitimately consider himself as the protagonist of Light fighting the
darkness. This again is a consequence of the double meaning of every symbol: what for one is the expression of the Spirit, may be the
imageof"dark""matter"intheother'seyes.
[17]Themandalaofthechessboard,ontheonehand,anddice,ontheother,representtwodifferentandcomplementarysymbolsofthe
cosmos.
[18]WemayrecallthattheSpiritortheWordisthe"formofforms",thatistosaytheformalprincipleoftheuniverse.

OriginaleditorialinclusionsthatfollowedtheessayinStudies:
Inmynovitiate,whenIhadbecomeawareofthecorruptionsofthelowersoulandacquaintedwithits
placesofambush,Ialwaysfeltaviolenthatredofitinmyheart.Onedaysomethinglikeayoungfox
cameforthfrommythroatandGodcausedmetoknowthatitwasmylowersoul.Icastitundermy
feet,andateverykickthatIgaveit,itgrewbigger.Isaid:"Otherthingsaredestroyedbypainand
blows:whydostthouincrease?"Itreplied:"BecauseIwascreatedperverse:thatwhichispainto
otherthingsispleasuretome,andtheirpleasureismypain".
Muhammadb.UlynofNas

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