Lonely Queen by Hermin Abramovitch Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Hermin Abramovitch. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.

Lonely Queen Everyone knows that the queen is the most powerful piece in chess, but few people know that the game existed for five hundred years without her. Surprisingly the birth of Queen's chess also marked the decline of female participation in the game. Throughout the ages it was the norm for women of all stations to play chess and to play chess against men. Concubines skilled at chess were prized possessions both for their ability to mentally challenge their masters as well as to best visitors to the court. Queen's chess could be won in a matter of several moves, minutes, or hours. The older version of chess often took all day allowing a man and women plenty of time to steal a touch under the table, take time out for a meal, or break away for a secluded walk. Uploaded on 4/4/2007 3:25:33 AM Made with Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 Digital Camera © Hermin Abramovitch Read Photo Discussion   |  Contact Hermin Hermin's Premium Gallery | Get Your Premium Gallery