Chess is an interesting war game that requires quick wit and skill.  It is played between two people.  Each player has 16 pieces.  Each piece represents something in Middle Age society.  The king and queen are in the middle showing superiority.  The bishops were religious leaders.  The knights were soldiers on horseback.  The rooks were castles.  Lastly, the pawns were foot soldiers.  If the king is threatened but can move out of danger the player threatening says "check".  The object of the game is to trap the king so anywhere he moves he will be captured.  This is called "checkmate".
     Chess' history started in India.  It was called Tschaturanga.  That means four divisions.  Indian chess was played with four players, two on two.  The colors were black, red, green, and yellow. Games took great amounts of time because the pieces couldn't move as far as they move today.  The queen, a powerful piece, could only move two spaces maximum.  Around the eighth century chess somehow got to Europe.  In Europe the game was taken religiously.  A "check" was a sin, and a "checkmate" an unfixable sin.  They modified the game so it's like the game today.  Pieces moved farther and the color white was also added.  We know chess from the Middle Ages because that's when the rules were modified to the rules of today.

1.  What do you think is the most powerful piece. Why do you think that?

2.  What is the least powerful piece, and why?

3.  Why do you think the people in the Middle Ages linked chess to religion?