In many ways, the game of chess reminds us of medieval times of Kings, Queens and Knights. The rook is no exception. Just looking at it brings up images of old castles. In fact, there is one special move in the game, where King and Rook trade places. Well, sort of. This move is called castling, and what better reminder of the symbol of the rook could there be than this very word? The Germans call this chessman Turm, which means tower. Funny enough, the English word rook has nothing to do with any castle whatsoever. It stems from the old Indian word rukh (carriage), being a piece in chess' predecessor game of chaturanga.

White and Black rooks start out at the corners of the board. This starting position makes it a little difficult for them to get to the center of the board, where most of the initial activity of the game takes place. And typically, the first combat actions in a chess game are between pawns, knights and bishops, and sometimes Her Majesty the Queen herself mingles in. Rooks have a way of waiting in the wings a little bit; they are at their strongest when material on the board is thinning out and the game enters its final phase, also called the end game.

The reason for this lies in its horizontal and vertical movement capability. When the board is full of pieces, there is not much open space for a rook to utilize. But when the board empties out, it often takes just one jump for a rook to get deep into enemy territory, causing pain and havoc among the enemy troops.

As said, the symbol of the rook, as castle or tower, takes us right back to European medieval history. We have dedicated two of our chess sets, the “King Arthur” set and the “Sir Lancelot” set, to the iconic legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Our “Gallant” chess set, although inspired by an Indian wedding, also brings on images of chivalry that were so abundant among royalty in those days.