Then we learn that Reiner is guilt-ridden and struggling to remain focused on their mission, while Bertolt is far more committed to their purpose and willing to put aside his personal feelings to accomplish goals. Reiner is the white side, and preoccupied in conversation with the others, while Bertolt is playing the black side and intensely focused on their game. Reiner and Bertolt are playing chess to pass the time.
See also Talking through Technique, which can turn a motif into a message. And heroes they are, for that L-shaped movement is something even the Queen can't do, giving the Knight a niche that is something other than "the Queen, but worse" and making the Knight the only piece that can threaten a Queen without putting itself at risk - much like how a clever and crafty hero can bring a seemingly-invulnerable villain down.Ī frequent variant is for the author or a character to explain how the situation is not analogous to chess, but rather to some other game such as Poker, Battleship, or Calvinball.Ĭompare Chess with Death, The Chessmaster (especially the first section of examples for The Chessmaster, most of which could go here as well), Human Chess, Smart People Play Chess, Xanatos Speed Chess, and Check and Mate. But the Knight in Shining Armor imagery clings to them yet expect them to be bold and daring heroes, if ultimately dispensable for the sake of their sovereign. Knights are less predictable still they can only move in L-shaped directions, for Pete's sake.
To extend the metaphor, the Rooks/Castles will be the straightforward, stoic, unmovable lines of defense, while the Bishops are less predictable, more mystical, moving according to divine diagonal direction. Also common are the Queen ( less honored to the casual observer, but the most powerful and versatile character on the board by far) and the King (not an efficient piece, but his implied capture ends the game). Sometimes this is done directly by the author other times by the characters themselves (by, e.g., having a conversation about a war over a chess match, using chess as an example).Ī very simple such analogy is the Pawn - the expendable, powerless, nameless foot soldier who may, if his actions are brave and his heart is true, become a Queen (although someone more practised at the game may note that the pawn is really a symbol of why you should never overlook apparently powerless people).
As chess is one of the oldest and most famous Turn-Based Strategy games in the western world, games of chess are often used symbolically in media in order to represent war, battles of wits, and similar events.
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