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390        <h1><font color="#133437" size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font color="#FFFFFF" size="7">j 
391          </font><font size="5">Lucas van Leyden's Painting &quot;The Chess Players&quot; 
392          1508<font size="4"><br>
393          <font size="5">A Detailed Analysis</font></font></font></strong></font><br>
394          <font color="#FFFFFF" size="-7">courier game - kurrier - renaissance 
395          - medieval - 8 by 12 - chess players - chess match - kurierschachspiel 
396          - chess variants - ancient chess<img src="graphics/Van_Leyden_Painting_The_Chess_Players_675.jpg" width="675" height="521"></font></h1>
397        <table width="600"  border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" >
398          <tr > 
399            <td >
400<div align="center">
401                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Lucas 
402                  van Leyden was a master painter and leading engraver of the 
403                  16th century. If you find the perspective of his painting a 
404                  little askew, please cut the master a little slack. <a href="theprint.htm"><img src="graphics-functional/button-art-print.jpg" alt="Chess Collectors Message" width="90" height="78" hspace="8" vspace
404="8" border="0"align="right"></a>
405				He was living 
406                  at time when the rules of perspective had not been widely established, 
407                  and he hadn&#8217;t yet met his lifetime mentor Albrech D&uuml;rer 
408                  &#8211; and, by the way, when he painted this masterpiece, Lucas 
409                  van Leyden was only a teenager!</font></p>
410                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There 
411                  is so much to see in this painting &#8211; the drama of the 
412                  characters consulting and kibitzing, the detail of dress and 
413                  expression, the implied time period and social milieu. What 
414                  we are interested in here is the drama of the game in play on 
415                  the great 8 by 12 courier chess board.</font></p>
416                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks 
417                  to the generous expository nature of van Leyden&#8217;s rendering, 
418                  and a little bit of historic insight, we can analyze the pieces 
419                  and position &#8211; and recreate the actual game in great detail.<br>
420                  <br>
421                  For the true chess enthusiast, we go into a bit of detail here 
422                  as to exactly how the game shown in van Leyden's painting has 
423                  been recreated.<br>
424                  </font></p>
425                <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">ANALYSIS 
426                  OF THE GAME</font></p>
427                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So, 
428                  what is this game presented in the painting? It is just a haphazard 
429                  arrangement of pieces or a carefully constructed real or possible 
430                  game? But then what piece is what? They are obviously conventional 
431                  &#8220;abstract&#8221; pieces of some tradition &#8211; but 
432                  this particular sort is long since forgotten! Can we possibly 
433                  make sense of this ancient array of figures? Let's look at what 
434                  we know, what we can observe ... and what can be revealed.<br>
435                  </font></p>
436                <p align="left">&nbsp; </p>
437                <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="graphics/courier-chess-initial-array-black-side.jpg" alt="Murray's Courier Chess Array" width="403" height="337" hspace="25" vspace="8"align="right">THE 
438                  PUZZLE</font></p>
439                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Let&#8217;s 
440                  first look at the known information. Although no text survives 
441                  to tell us simply what the strange figures on van Leyden&#8217;s 
442                  board represent, we do have a record of how the game of courier 
443                  chess was played. </font></p>
444                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The 
445                  initial array of pieces shown here is adapted from H.J.R. Murray 
446                  (A History of Chess, 1913), who was informed by Gustav Selenus 
447                  (Das Schach Oder Konig Spiel, 1616). Our view is from the side 
448                  of &#8220;black&#8221;, to make easier reference to woman&#8217;s 
449                  side in the painting. The pawns are just shown as spots (yellow 
450                  on the &#8220;white side; black on the &#8220;black&#8221; side).</font></p>
451                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Also 
452                  from Selenus (1616), we get the moves of the pieces. Note that 
453                  some pieces &#8211; bishop, queen and pawn &#8211; have their 
454                  older, medieval, pre-16th century moves.</font></p>
455                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Rook 
456                  &#8211; like our modern rook<br>
457                  Knight &#8211; like our modern knight<br>
458                  Bishop &#8211; the medieval bishop &#8211; moved only two spaces 
459                  diagonally!<br>
460                  Courier &#8211; the &#8216;novel&#8217; piece in Courier chess, 
461                  moved like our modern bishop<br>
462                  Sage &#8211; moved just like the modern king, but could be captured 
463                  in play<br>
464                  King &#8211; like our modern king<br>
465                  Queen &#8211; the medieval queen &#8211; moved only one space 
466                  diagonally!<br>
467                  Jester &#8211; moved only one space forward, backward, left 
468                  or right.<br>
469                  Pawn &#8211; like our modern pawn but only one space at a time 
470                  &#8211; no double jump!</font></p>
471                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Furthermore, 
472                  we historic texts tell us that the game opened with four peculiar 
473                  moves on each side. Each player moved the two rook pawns, the 
474                  queen&#8217;s pawn, and the queen herself forward two spaces. 
475                  This opened the game more quickly, allowing the rooks and queens 
476                  to get into play quickly.<br>
477                  </font></p>
478                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="graphics/courier-chess-pieces-from-van-leyden.jpg" alt="Chess Pieces isolated from van Leyden's painting" width="300" height="1254" hspace="25" vspace="8"align="right">Now, 
479                  let&#8217;s look at these mysterious pieces, one by one. They 
480                  are shown here, isolated from the painting, and given letters, 
481                  A through T, for reference. </font></p>
482                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A, B, 
483                  C and D are somewhat similar to each other. A looks like a big 
484                  ball, but B looks a little squashed; C and D could be the same 
485                  thing viewed &#8220;from the side&#8221;. This doesn&#8217;t 
486                  look like any known piece, either ancient or modern &#8211; 
487                  although it has some resemblance to the rooks in the painting 
488                  &#8220;Three Sisters Playing Chess&#8221; (Sofonisba Anguissola, 
489                  Italy, 1555).</font></p>
490                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">E has 
491                  a split top, typical of medieval rooks or bishops. F is barely 
492                  visible in the lower left corner of the board as seen in the 
493                  painting, but seems to be of the same shape. Because of the 
494                  medieval bishop&#8217;s very limited move &#8211; exactly two 
495                  spaces diagonally &#8211; each bishop has only 12 spaces on 
496                  the entire 96-square board that he can possibly move to. It 
497                  happens that E stands on one of these possible squares, and 
498                  could have reached it in three moves from the bishop's starting 
499                  position. (Only one other piece &#8211; B, apparently a king 
500                  &#8211; stands on another possible bishop-occupied square).</font></p>
501                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">G, H, 
502                  I and J are very similar to each other, looking somewhat like 
503                  the heads of modern bishops. They are taller than most pieces, 
504                  perhaps indicating power or importance. Texts tell us that the 
505                  courier was considered to be the most powerful piece (though 
506                  modern players would disagree).</font></p>
507                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">K and 
508                  L are the very symbol of kings in modern diagrams &#8211; but 
509                  they may not be kings at all. That particular symbol didn&#8217;t 
510                  come into fashion until the late 19th century. Still, one suspects 
511                  that the crowns must indicate some sort of royalty.</font></p>
512                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">M and 
513                  N (barely discernible behind the lady&#8217;s hand), also crowns, 
514                  must also be some sort of royalty, but of less prestige or power.</font></p>
515                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">O and 
516                  P appear to be the same figure at different angles. Could they 
517                  be an abstracted horse&#8217;s head? That is one tradition that 
518                  has survived many centuries, from medieval through modern times.</font></p>
519                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Q and 
520                  R are a peculiar sight to us today, but for several centuries 
521                  this three-tiered Christmas tree was the established form of 
522                  the king. </font></p>
523                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Finally, 
524                  S is similar to Q and R, but also similar to T which is painted 
525                  with more care and detail. Jester? Queen? Courier? Bishop? It 
526                  could be just about anything.</font></p>
527                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Just 
528                  looking at the pieces, with some knowledge of historic forms 
529                  of chessmen gives us a few clues &#8211; but not enough to be 
530                  very certain.</font></p>
531                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">What 
532                  fills in the picture then, is the position of pieces on the 
533                  board. Our working hypothesis is that this is a real game in 
534                  progress, either recorded by the artist or deliberately created. 
535                  If that isn&#8217;t the case, we&#8217;ll soon find that our 
536                  position is ridiculous if not totally impossible. </font></p>
537                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="graphics/courier-chess-position-unidentified.jpg" alt="Chess Pieces isolated from van Leyden's painting" width="403" height="294" hspace="25" vspace="8"align="right">This 
538                  diagram shows the pieces laid out on and off the board, as they 
539                  are in the painting &#8211; using our letters, A through T as 
540                  reference. Let&#8217;s see what can be observed.</font></p>
541                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">White&#8217;s 
542                  king pawn (adjacent to piece H) has not advanced. From this, 
543                  we can surmise that the king's side is on the right and the 
544                  queen's side is on the left &#8211; for if it were the queen&#8217;s 
545                  pawn, it would have to be advanced two spaces in the opening.</font></p>
546                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">L is 
547                  being threatened by a white pawn, but the woman playing black 
548                  is not moving to defend it. This supports our assertion that 
549                  K and L are not kings. They are, however, on the correct color 
550                  squares to be queens (considering the medieval queen&#8217;s 
551                  diagonal-only move) &#8211; and they happen to be working on 
552                  the queen&#8217;s side of the board. </font></p>
553                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">M is 
554                  out of play, while N is busy over on the &#8220;king&#8217;s 
555                  side&#8221; (also the &quot;sage's side) of the board. </font></p>
556                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">O, if 
557                  it is a knight, could have easily reached its present position 
558                  in 3 simple leaps (P is out of play).</font></p>
559                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Q and 
560                  R appear to be very active kings, with black moving a piece 
561                  right up to the white king, possibly threatening it.</font></p>
562                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">S is 
563                  apparently the same as the much more detailed figure T. No on-board 
564                  evidence for this one &#8230; but with that ball, frilly collar 
565                  and hat, it may well be a jester.</font></p>
566                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Finally, 
567                  we must consider that rooks, knights bishops and couriers come 
568                  sets of two to each player, while kings, queens, jesters and 
569                  sages come one to each side. So a piece that appears twice in 
570                  one color must be one of the former pieces, while a piece that 
571                  appears only once in each color is probably one of the latter.</font></p>
572                <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="graphics/courier-chess-position-solved.jpg" alt="Chess Pieces isolated from van Leyden's painting" width="403" height="373" hspace="25" vspace="8"align="right">SOLUTION</font></p>
573                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So, 
574                  taking all of this into account, here&#8217;s what we&#8217;ve 
575                  come up with. Take a look at the diagram at right. With the 
576                  pieces identified in this way, every piece is properly in play, 
577                  in a legal and quite possible position. The woman playing black 
578                  is just at the moment of giving check with a rook, which is 
579                  defended by a courier. The white king is not yet trapped; he 
580                  may move to either of the white squares adjacent to his own 
581                  courier &#8230; and the pursuit will continue for a few moves 
582                  yet, before black&#8217;s overwhelming forces finally trap the 
583                  white king into a checkmate.</font></p>
584                <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">AND SO &#8230;</font></p>
585                <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Having 
586                  analyzed the position and derived the identities of the pieces, 
587                  we have been able to recreate the entire set, as it would have 
588                  been recognized at the dawn of the 16th century. Here is the 
589                  starting line-up of the pieces. Quite a cast of characters! 
590                  Charming, interestingly diverse &#8211; and powerfully inviting 
591                  the 21st century player to step back in time and take part in 
592                  one of Old Europe&#8217;s most enduring contests of wit!</font> 
593                </p>
594                <p align="center"><img src="graphics-new/full-lineup-courier-chess.jpg" width="600" height="93"></p>
595                <p align="left"><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="newsletter/CCI-Courier-Chess-Article.pdf" target="x"><img src="graphics-functional/button-cci-article.jpg" alt="Chess Collectors International Article" width="150" height="130" hspace="8" vspace="8" border="0"align="right"></a></font><font size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
596                  <br>
597                  In March, 2009, an article appeared in The Chess Collector &#8212; 
598                  the official magazine of Chess Collector International, discussing 
599                  courier chess in detail, and referring to this new re-creation. 
600                  You can download the full illustrated article (in PDF form) 
601                  by clicking <a href="newsletter/CCI-Courier-Chess-Article.pdf" target="x">this 
602                  link</a>.</font></p>
603              </div></td>
604          </tr>
605        </table>
606        <table width="600" border="3" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="15">
607          <tr> 
608            <td><div align="center"> 
609                <p><font color="#FF0000" size="+1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>The 
610                  Courier Chess Reproduction<br>
611                  <br>
612                  <img src="graphics-new/opening-position-courier-chess.jpg" width="550" height="259"> 
613                  </strong></font></p>
614                <p align="center"><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">above: 
615                  The opening position of courier chess<br>
616                  </font><font color="#FF0000" size="+1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><br>
617                  </strong></font><font color="#FF0000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font color="#333333"><em><font size="-1">I 
618                  already purchased one of your sets and I love it! <br>
619                  It exceeded my expectations. I hope you can continue <br>
620                  producing these sets, you're doing a valuable service <br>
621                  making this extinct game available again<font size="1">. </font></font></em></font></strong></font><br>
622                  <font color="#FF0000" size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font color="#333333"><em><font color="#FFFFFF">_______________________________________________</font></em><font color="#FFFFFF">_</font>&#8212;</font></strong></font><font color="#FF0000" size="-1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font color="#333333"> 
623                  Jeff S. of Everett, Washington, USA </font></strong></font></p>
624                <p align="left"><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>The 
625                  complete set of 48 pieces</strong> stand between &frac34; inch 
626                  and 2 &frac14; inches tall (1.8 ~ 6 cm), the same size of those 
627                  depicted in van Leyden&#8217;s painting.<br>
628                  Hand crafted in Riverside, California, made of solid resin, 
629                  steel reinforced where needed and hand detailed to recreate 
630                  the 500-year-old painting as closely as possible.<br>
631                  They are felted for comfort in play, and protection of the board.<br>
632                  This copyrighted reproduction is available only through CourierChess.com, 
633                  selling as rickofricks on eBay.</font></p>
634                <p align="left"><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Since 
635                  the first production of in 2008, additional versions of the 
636                  chessmen and board have been created. See the link below for 
637                  currently available sets.<br>
638                  <br>
639                  <strong>The board</strong> measures 19 &frac34; by 13 &frac34; 
640                  inches; &frac12; inch thick (35 by 50 by 1.25 cm), just like 
641                  the one depicted in van Leyden&#8217;s painting.<br>
642                  The playing surface is a photographic image of a fine hand-painted 
643                  German beech wood replica &#8211; likely materials for van Leyden&#8217;s 
644                  original subject. It is reproduced here fixed to sturdy fiberwood 
645                  board (MDF).<br>
646                  <br>
647                  <strong>A quality print</strong>, the same size as the original 
648                  painting, is included (details below).</font></p>
649                <p align="left"><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>Further 
650                  productions</strong> are being developed. Check our listings 
651                  for fine brass sets and hand made boards.<br>
652                  <br>
653                  <strong>The illustrated rule booklet</strong> clearly lays out 
654                  the original rules of play with diagrams, pictures and explanations.<br>
655                  <strong><br>
656                  To see this and further Courier Chess listings, select the link 
657                  below.</strong></font></p>
658                <p align="center"><strong><font color="#000000" size="+3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://stores.ebay.com/World-Chess-and-Fine-Arts/_i.html?_nkw=courier&submit=Search&_sid=121288948" target="x">CLICK 
659                  HERE FOR AVAILABLE<br>
660                  COURIER CHESS SETS AND PRINTS</a></font></strong></p>
661                <p align="center"><br>
662                  <font color="#000000" size="-1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="thecontact.htm">Any 
663                  Questions? </a></font></p>
664                <p align="left"><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong> 
665                  </strong></font></p>
666                </div></td>
667          </tr>
668        </table>
669        <br>
670        <table width="600" border="3" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="15">
671          <tr> 
672            <td><div align="center"> 
673                <p><font color="#FF0000" size="+1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>Quality 
674                  Print of Lucas van Leyden's Painting<br>
675                  <br>
676                  <img src="graphics-new/vanleydenpaintingposter550.jpg" width="550" height="367"></strong></font></p>
677                <p align="left"><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>Original 
678                  size: </strong> The image is reproduced in the same size as 
679                  the original painting: <br>
680                  10.6 x 13.8 inches (27 x 35 cm). Including the border, this 
681                  print measures 12 x 18 inches (30.5 x 45.7 cm).<br>
682                  <br>
683                  <strong>Restored:</strong> Scrapes and damages have been carefully 
684                  removed, restoring this painting to its original beauty.<br>
685                  <br>
686                  <strong>Fine quality:</strong> The image is finely detailed, 
687                  printed with a glossy finish on a firm 10 point paper (about 
688                  the thickness of a standard card stock).<br>
689                  </font></p>
690                <p align="center"><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
691                  </font><strong><font color="#000000" size="+3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://stores.ebay.com/World-Chess-and-Fine-Arts/_i.html?_nkw=courier&submit=Search&_sid=121288948" target="x">CLICK 
692                  HERE FOR AVAILABLE<br>
693                  COURIER CHESS SETS AND PRINTS</a></font></strong></p>
694                </div></td>
695          </tr>
696        </table>
697        <br>
698        <table width="600" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
699          <tr> 
700            <td><p align="center"><font size="-1"><a href="index.htm"><br>
701                HOME</a><font color="#FFFFFF">__</font> <a href="thepieces.htm">THE 
702                PIECES</a><font color="#FFFFFF">__</font> <a href="thepainting.htm">THE 
703                PAINTING</a><font color="#FFFFFF">__</font> <a href="thehistory.htm">THE 
704                HISTORY</a><font color="#FFFFFF">__</font> <a href="thelinks.htm">LINKS</a><font color="#FFFFFF">__</font> 
705                <a href="thecontact.htm">CONTACT US </a><font color="#FFFFFF">__</font><br>
706                <br>
707                </font></p></td>
708          </tr>
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