The role of Chess in the potterverse, Potter is our King!? |
 Oct 18 2009, 02:27 PM
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Triwizard Champ of the Lily and Stag Inn  Posts: 2,040 Joined: 8:34am April 9, 2008 Location: Swimming in lunacy     |
Chess has not only been referenced throughout the series but a few times I've seen people on here make the reference that Harry was no more than a pawn in Dumbledore's plan.
Lets say that the series is the ultimate game of wizards chess which character would be a representation of which piece on a chess board? I think it's safe to say Harry and Voldemort symbolise the Kings. Could Lily be considered Queen since it was her protection that ultimately kept the King out of check (Harry alive). Or perhaps Snape could be seen as being the biggest protection offered to Harry? Consider who's who on Voldemorts side too. Could all of his DE's be considered pawns since they were all expendable to him? -------------------- |
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Oct 18 2009, 04:00 PM
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Stocking Snitches at Quality Quidditch Supplies Posts: 661 Joined: 4:16pm April 26, 2008 |
QUOTE(Sirius_Craic @ Oct 18 2009, 12:27 PM)  Chess has not only been referenced throughout the series but a few times I've seen people on here make the reference that Harry was no more than a pawn in Dumbledore's plan. Lets say that the series is the ultimate game of wizards chess which character would be a representation of which piece on a chess board? I think it's safe to say Harry and Voldemort symbolise the Kings. Could Lily be considered Queen since it was her protection that ultimately kept the King out of check (Harry alive). Or perhaps Snape could be seen as being the biggest protection offered to Harry? Consider who's who on Voldemorts side too. Could all of his DE's be considered pawns since they were all expendable to him? That's a very interesting question. Of course Harry was much much more then a Pawn. A Pawn is expendable, but according to the prophesy Harry was irreplaceable, so I'd agree he'd be the King on the White side. I'd say Ron's a Knight and Hermione is a Rook. This post has been edited by cooncatbob: Oct 18 2009, 07:31 PM -------------------- Work like you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt, and Dance like no one is watching. |
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Oct 18 2009, 04:14 PM
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Flesh-Eating-Slug Catcher Posts: 158 Joined: 5:02pm April 22, 2008 Location: Flying on thestrels with Luna |
I don't know how to play chess very well, but I believe Hermione would be a knight or a rook. I also think that either LV would play without a queen, or it would be his horcruxes. And where would DD go
--------------------  Fred is making fun of Draco from Heaven! Avatar by Jeffhpfan |
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Oct 18 2009, 07:34 PM
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Stocking Snitches at Quality Quidditch Supplies Posts: 661 Joined: 4:16pm April 26, 2008 |
QUOTE(potterish10010 @ Oct 18 2009, 02:14 PM) I don't know how to play chess very well, but I believe Hermione would be a knight or a rook. I also think that either LV would play without a queen, or it would be his horcruxes. And where would DD go Dumbledore would be the Chess Master playing White. I don't know if LV could be both player and piece? -------------------- Work like you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt, and Dance like no one is watching. |
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Oct 19 2009, 01:40 AM
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DDD's Protege Posts: 313 Joined: 10:49am March 13, 2009 Location: On the Horizon |
Fun topic!
QUOTE(cooncatbob @ Oct 18 2009, 08:34 PM) I don't know if LV could be both player and piece? Maybe Tom Riddle could be the Chess Master and Voldemort the King.  I think perhaps that Lupin and Sirius would be the Knights, Ron and McGonagall would be the Bishops, and Hermione and Arthur would be the Rooks. QUOTE(Sirius_Craic @ Oct 18 2009, 03:27 PM) Could Lily be considered Queen since it was her protection that ultimately kept the King out of check (Harry alive). QUOTE(potterish10010 @ Oct 18 2009, 05:14 PM) ...I also think that either LV would play without a queen, or it would be his horcruxes... The Queens were harder for me to choose; I like each of your ideas. I like that Voldemort would play without a Queen since he trusted no one. QUOTE(Sirius_Craic @ Oct 18 2009, 03:27 PM) Consider who's who on Voldemorts side too. Could all of his DE's be considered pawns since they were all expendable to him? I think that Bellatrix and Lucius would be pieces that were more valuable than a pawn. Maybe Snape would be a White piece playing from the Black side. Perhaps the rest of the power pieces would be pawns. I guess that says something about Voldemort's strength if most of his men are pawns.... -------------------- "Only love...can leave such a mark / But only love...can heal such a scar" -U2 |
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Oct 19 2009, 05:24 AM
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Triwizard Champ of the Lily and Stag Inn Posts: 2,040 Joined: 8:34am April 9, 2008 Location: Swimming in lunacy |
I'd be more inclined to think Bellatrix would be Voldys Queen, whether Vodly wants her to be or not. She would have protected her King at all costs, even if it meant self-sacrifice. I don't see many DE's willing to do that. They're willing to follow the all powerful Voldemort alright but to actually lay down their lives is another story.
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Oct 19 2009, 05:34 AM
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Knight Bus Driver in Training Posts: 600 Joined: 6:25am December 9, 2007 Location: Canada |
That last post put a totally silly picture into my head. Bartemius Crouch Jr. as Voldemort's Queen. Maybe Barty and Bella could share that square on the chess board. (hee, hee) I think they both have earned that dubious honour.
Oh yeah, I definitely think that Ronald Weasley would be a knight. Um ... even if he is our king (grin). PS, Chapter 16, p.205, Raincoast: (RW): "Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop and Hermoine, you go next to him instead in that castle." (HP): "And what about you?" (RW): "I'm going to be a knight." Laura This post has been edited by Laura W: Oct 19 2009, 05:44 AM -------------------- |
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Oct 21 2009, 04:39 PM
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Ollivander's Apprentice Posts: 1,994 Joined: 7:39pm March 11, 2007 Location: wandering in the Forbidden Forest, listening for the Phoenix song   |
What a fun thread! I too love the chess symbolism in the series. And, without paying attention to gender, here are some thoughts on the characters as chess pieces:
The White King: The most powerful piece on the board, whose capture signifies the end of the game. Definitely Harry The White Queen: Dumbledore. The queen is the most powerful piece on the board, able to move in any direction (horizontally, vertically, diagonally). Dumbledore controlled the board, could move in any direction, unconstrained, due to his abilities, and directed most of the strategy. He also sacrificed himself to save the King. Also, QUOTE Although both players start with one queen each, a player can promote a pawn to any of several types of pieces including a queen when the pawn is moved to the player's furthest rank, which is the opponents first rank. Such a queen created by promotion can be an additional queen or, if the player's queen has been captured, a replacement queen. Such pawn promotion to a queen can be colloquially called queening, which is by far the most common type of piece a pawn is promoted to because of the power of a queen. Didn't Dumbledore, in essence, do this with minor players as well? He was always elevating more minor players beyond what they thought their abilities might be.The White Knight: Severus. QUOTE The knight move is unusual among chess pieces. When it moves, it can move two squares horizontally and one square vertically, or two squares vertically and one square horizontally. The complete move therefore looks like the letter 'L'. Unlike all other standard chess pieces, the knight can 'jump over' all other pawns and pieces (of either color) to its destination square. The knight's ability to 'jump over' other pieces means it is at its most powerful in closed positions. Severus moved in irregular patterns, but always on behalf of the White King. His indirect approaches enabled him to nearly checkmate the Black King. Also, the Knight QUOTE is considered to be more valuable when the board is more crowded ...didn't Severus serve adriotly when the game was crowded with players, and he slowly assisted in revealing their positions as an informant against the DE's?The White Rook: Hermione. The rook is considered more powerful than a Knight or a Bishop. The rook can move in any direction, and, like the Queen, is considered a major piece. Hermione's steadfast presence, and acute intelligence, both protected Harry and enabled him to advance. As noted above, her ability to castle provided the White King with strong defenses. QUOTE Rooks are most powerful towards the end of a game, where they can move unobstructed by pawns and control large numbers of squares. Hermione certainly came into her own by Deathly Hallows, where she helped Harry direct the final strategy against Voldemort.The White Bishop: Neville. The bishop is equal in strength to the knight, but moves on the diagonal. QUOTE in the opening and middlegame a bishop may be hemmed in by pawns of both players, and thus be inferior to a knight which can hop over them. Neville certainly started out slowly in the series, and he was "hemmed in" by both sides -- the trio, for example, in PS/SS, and later by his past, his insecurities, and the strength of the Black side as he tried to fight against Voldemort. QUOTE Bishops generally gain in relative strength towards the endgame as more pieces are captured and more open lines are available for them to operate. Neville certainly gained in strength as the game wore on, players were down on both sides, and he began to control the board more than we realized. He did "pin down" the Black King towards the very end by killing off Nagini and making Harry's checkmate possible.The Black King: Voldemort The Black Queen: Bellatrix. She was, to me, Dumbledore's opposite, with both of them uniquely powerful, devoted to preserving their King, and able to move in any direction required. While Voldemort was the most important piece, Bellatrix was most often in a state of play. The Black Bishop: Lucius. Lucius was powerful, but, like a Bishop, hampered by only being able to move diagonally. When Lucius' wealth and prestige finally failed him, he was limited in his moves, and eventually removed from the board. The Black Knight: Barty Crouch Jr. Like the Knight, BCJ was able to move in irregular patterns, could move to any color square unchecked (as no one knew he was alive!) and nearly captured the White King. Only the intervention of the White Queen prevented this checkmate. The Black Rook: Wormtail. While he may appear to be a "pawn" of Voldemort, Peter actually cared for Voldemort in his weakened state (think castling?), and went on to provide the best defense possible for the Black King -- Harry Potter's blood for his rejuvenation. *source for all citations: Wikipedia This post has been edited by fidelia: Oct 21 2009, 04:52 PM -------------------- *thanks, twiddlethosedials, for the siggy* |
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Oct 22 2009, 11:41 AM
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Kibble Boy/Girl at the Magical Menagerie Posts: 308 Joined: 3:29pm August 10, 2005 Location: The Three Broomsticks lifting a pint or two with Hagrid |
I read somewhere, but of course I don’t remember where, about how Hermione and Ron’s chess pieces represented their relationship. The premise was Ron as a knight was dedicated to, and charged with the defense and protection of Hermione’s castle. I don’t recall ever seeing where JKR addressed this or night but it does fit. Obviously one of a knights duties is to protect their castle (and of course the people in and around it) and he can see lots of cases where Ron comes to Hermione’s aid with “Eat Slugs” being the first that comes to mind.
You could carry this even further Hermione could be argued is the foundation of the trio – the rock solid one, focused, does not waver, etc. A castle is of course rock solid as well – ideally built on a solid foundation. And then there is Bishop Harry. A Bishop a holy person, expected to do what is right not easy, concerned with the welfare of others including the redemption of their soul. On the other hand maybe JKR just likes chess. -------------------- Gringotts Express . . . . Never disapparate without it
W.O.M.B.A.T. 1 - Acceptable W.O.M.B.A.T. 2 - Outstanding W.O.M.B.A.T. 3 - Outstanding |
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Oct 22 2009, 03:23 PM
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Stocking Snitches at Quality Quidditch Supplies Posts: 661 Joined: 4:16pm April 26, 2008 |
QUOTE(GaryPotter @ Oct 22 2009, 09:41 AM) I read somewhere, but of course I don’t remember where, about how Hermione and Ron’s chess pieces represented their relationship. The premise was Ron as a knight was dedicated to, and charged with the defense and protection of Hermione’s castle. I don’t recall ever seeing where JKR addressed this or night but it does fit. Obviously one of a knights duties is to protect their castle (and of course the people in and around it) and he can see lots of cases where Ron comes to Hermione’s aid with “Eat Slugs” being the first that comes to mind. You could carry this even further Hermione could be argued is the foundation of the trio – the rock solid one, focused, does not waver, etc. A castle is of course rock solid as well – ideally built on a solid foundation. And then there is Bishop Harry. A Bishop a holy person, expected to do what is right not easy, concerned with the welfare of others including the redemption of their soul. On the other hand maybe JKR just likes chess. That makes sense except Harry is the White King not the Bishop. Harry death would be game over for good guys. -------------------- Work like you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt, and Dance like no one is watching. |
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