Dusk Endeavors or Dream Chess

Dusk Endeavors or Dream Chess

Dusk Endeavors or Dream Chess

While the exact time and place of chess's origin is debated, most scholars believe it was developed sometime around the sixth century A.D. It is a descendant of a game called chaturanga, which was commonly played in India during that time. During subsequent years, chaturanga spread throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Chaturanga was introduced to China around A.D. 750 and then to Korea and Japan by the eleventh century. In each of these places, it took on different characteristics. Historically, the game's pieces have been both simple and highly decorated. Prior to A.D. 600, the pieces were plain. These were replaced by detailed sets depicting royalty, warriors, and animals. From the ninth to the twelfth centuries, Islamic rules prohibiting the depiction of living creatures resulted in basic pieces made from clay or stone. This change is actually thought to have increased interest in the game at the time because it made sets more widely available and was less distracting to the players. When the game spread to Europe and Russia, highly ornate sets were fashionable.

I believe the boat is a prototype of one of Columbus' ships Santa Maria. The Santa María was a small carrack, about 70 feet long, used as the flagship for the expedition. She carried 40 men. The Santa María was constructed from pine and oak. The other two ships of the Columbus expedition were the caravel-type ships Santa Clara, remembered as the Nina and Pinta. All these ships were second-hand and were never meant for exploration.