Board Games Studies Journals Online

Hola, darlings!

It has been awhile since I looked up what was going on with Board Games Studies, those dudes (and a few femmes) primarily out of the Netherlands, who do such excellent work in publishing the latest in articles on research into ancient (and not quite so ancient) board games.

So I am pleased to report that today when I checked in again, I found a brand new website and Volumes 8 (2014) and 9 (2015) of Board Games Studies are now available online for FREE!  BOARD GAMES STUDIES JOURNAL ONLINE.

According to DIGRA (Digital Games Research Association), where I found the news, plans are afoot to also publish online versions of Volumes 1 through 7, running from 1998 through 2003.  Sadly, no compilations were made between 2004 and 2013, but that is not to say that excellent articles may not be out there online -- you just will have to hunt them down.

I haven't read this one - yet - but I sure will, because how could I possibly resist an article about the Birth of the Chess Queen, by Arie van der Stoep?

That title reminded me of Marilyn Yalom's EXCELLENT history of the development of the queen in chess, Birth of the Chess Queen: A History.  It is on my list of re-reads to do.  Like an excellent movie whenever you watch it, you pick up something new every time you read a favorite book -- and Yalom's is one of my favorite chess histories.

You can learn more about Yalom here, and the many books she has written over the years.

Matilde of Canossa a/k/a Matilda of Tuscany

This image shows Matilde of Canossa (a/k/a Matilda of Tuscany), sometime during her life (1046-1115 CE) and some high bishop mucky-muck in the Roman Catholic Church sitting his bad old butt on the back of a dog. What a jerk!

The caption on this image says "Enrico IV invoca l’abate di Cluny e Matilde perché intervengano in suo favore presso Gregorio VII a Canossa. Città del Vaticano, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana."

 There were many very powerful women throughout history, and the late Middle Ages were no exception. Marilyn Yalom wrote about many of them in her informative and entertain book "The Birth of the Chess Queen." It's not explicitly stated in the article, but I presume (given the title below), that this is a precise of a new exhibit being shown at the Casa Del Mantegna in Mantua, Italy.

 From ArtDaily.org on September 21, 2008

  Matilde of Canossa: The Papacy and the Empire Opened at Casa del Mantegna MANTUA.- The two universal powers dominating Europe in the Middle Ages, the Empire and the Papacy, the bishops, the cities, the nobles, the peasants...

 An insight into the society of the first two centuries after the year 1000 has been provided casting new light on the life of Matilda of Canossa, “la comitissa” or “the Great Countess” who kept control of the key territories between Rome and the Alps, including those at the heart of the Padan plain crossed by the Po River and the lands along the Apennines.

 The strength and loneliness of this outstanding yet emblematic woman of this era may be the starting point for a line of reasoning leading to the discovery of a world of deep transformation through a suggestive visual narration unfolding into gemmed crosses, seals, tapestries, ivories, jewels, sculptures, altars, swords and tools from the Italian and European museums. Through a display of archaeological finds which have never been shown before, paintings depicting scenes of the world and, not least, agricultural tools, this exhibition provides a picture of the landscape and living environment in the eleventh and twelfth century, also revealing the remains of the Roman roads, the route along the Po River and its affluents providing a network of navigable waterways, and the mountain passes of the Alps and Apennines.

 Matilda of Canossa, an outstanding figure under many respects, albeit profoundly linked to her world — has been one of the more influential women of her age. She was the sole heiress of a great feudal dynasty and made crucial political decisions which contributed to signalling the end of an epoch and led to the rise of communal life, urban cities and individual freedom. The years running from Matilda’s birth in Mantua, possibly in 1046, to her death, in 1115, were marked by a ferment of revolutionary ideas underpinning the Church’s reforms, the struggle over investitures and the dispute between the Papacy and the Empire.

The blood relationship with the Imperial family, the marriage relationships with the Dukes of Lorraine and the House of Welf, the alliance with Pope Gregory VII, the contacts with the Abbot Hugh of Cluny and with Anselm, Bishop of Lucca, were the key factors making Matilda and her “court” the linchpin of military disputes, mediations, strategies and even episodes having a great symbolic impact, such as Henry IV’s penitence that moved the Pope to grant him absolution at the Castle of Canossa, in January 1077. In Matilda’s life, her personal vicissitudes, the two unhappy marriages and the death of her baby daughter intertwined with succession and political decisions.

By virtue of the unconditional support to the Papacy she is remembered, lonely and powerful, as a heroine of the Church of Rome deserving to be buried in St. Peter’s Basilica (after the transfer of her remains from the Polirone abbey church, where she decided to be buried). Yet, due to such backing, she became an easy target for calumny and allegations on her private life. However, an ambivalent myth was born and, growing through fascinating legends, celebrations and smear, it survived until this day.

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Hmmmm, sounds like I need to read up on this woman. You can find more information on the exhibit (there are three parts to it) and Matilda here.

The Queens - of Egypt

The incredibly regal, beautiful carved chess pieces that stood next to the King from the earliest times weren't originally inspired by a male "vizier" you know, darlings (although a few of them were women, too). It was the King's consort - the Queen - who inspired the highest form of the divine art. Historian Marilyn Yalom hinted at this in her fine book "The Birth of the Chess Queen." But she was - okay, I won't call Yalom chicken, because I respect her too much - I'll call her "circumspect" instead :) She didn't say what needed to be said - that the Queen was ALWAYS present in the earliest forms of chess, and even though not necessarily physically present on the gameboard in the form of a piece, her presence was nonetheless always implicit. It's not your run-of-the-mill chess historian who will say such a thing, though - poor darlings - so many, so suppressed! Yes, I'm in your face about it - but really, even if it doesn't seem so, I am much kinder and gentler about ramming my beliefs down your throat than I used to be when I first started on this quest more than seven years ago... And so, the kinder and gentler Jan (ahem) starts out with an interesting lesson from ancient history. Learn about the real women who were queens in the game of life, not just a carved figure on a chessboard. Joyce Tyldesley's Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt (Thames & Hudson) covers from Early Dynastic times to the death of Cleopatra, a span of some 3000 years of royal ladies. Some of the queens, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Nefertari, and Cleopatra are household names. But here, in splendid detail, and extremely well illustrated, are the other royal ladies. The presentation follows the style of the reviewer's own earlier book on the pharaohs and is a very welcome pair to it - too often the royal ladies of ancient Egypt are sidelined to the greater glory of their husbands, the pharaohs, but here Dr. Tyldesley into the light, where their standing and often remarkable achievements are emphasised. When you learn about the roles of these women - not just the ancient Egyptian queens - and their connection to every aspect of ancient civilization, both religious and secular - and how integrated into the life of every person they were, it is then you will begin to suspect that they had a presence in every board game, despite having been boycotted by history for several thousand years.