Checkmate! Chess and the Church Explained

Joseph Burley

Chess is a venerable and familiar game with a history of tradition. Some say it represents

an analogy of early history, with the bishops representing the Church's role in past wars

and other political events. However, I think the figures on the board could just as well

represent the entirety of the Church. My 8th

grade Religious Formation Class has been

learning about the history and structure of the Church. I thought the game of chess could

present a suitable analogy as a way of summarizing our faith and the Church. While I am

probably not the first one to think of this, here is my version:

The game is focused around protecting the King. There is no question that this piece is in

charge of and protected by his army. The King is the Pope, the head of the Church. It is

the slowest moving piece on the board. This is quite suitable since it is the slow and

deliberate process for any change or action in the Church led by the Pope and the

Magisterium of the Church that provides a remarkable long-term stability and preserves it

from error. The white King piece from my hand-carved marble chess set appeared to

have the head glued back on. Perhaps the piece was dropped and repaired by the game's

previous owner? I pointed out that this reminded me that popes have been martyred,

including Pope Sixtus II, who was beheaded in the pre-Constantine era.

The next piece I picked up was the Queen. The queen is unquestionably the most

powerful piece and the only feminine figure on the board. While the Church is viewed as

a patriarchal institution run by men, there is no underestimating the female role and

power in the Church. Who no knows what the Church and the world would be like

without the role played by and the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary? In

addition, I noted that a "secret" power within the Church can be attributed to all the

cloistered nuns and sisters whose prayers and tireless work behind the scenes enable the

Church to thrive. Other examples of power and influence of women in the affairs of the

Church include St. Helena and Mother Theresa, who have arguably made more tangible

impact on the Church than individual popes have. That covers the two unique pieces.

There are three pieces that have two of each, one on each color: the bishop, the knight

and the rook. The bishop represents…(what else?) the bishops, who are dedicated to a

life of obedient service to the King. The Bishop on the

King's color represents the bishops who have been

ordained by Peter's successors through the chain of

apostolic succession in the Roman Catholic Church.

The Bishop on the opposite color represents those

bishops that were similarly ordained by one of the

other apostles and belong to one the Orthodox Rites of

the Church, which through the lineage of apostolic

succession and valid ordination remain a part of the

Church.

The rook piece is thought to be a primarily defensive but subtlety powerful piece. It can

control a large area of the board, often from the King's rank or "behind the scenes." The

rook on the King's color represents the new tabernacle, the real presence of Christ found

within. No further comment is necessary about what this means to the Church! The rook

on the opposite color represents the ark of the covenant, the aron kodesh, the holy place

located in a Jewish synagogue that containing the Torah scrolls. This is a reminder that

our Christian faith in inextricably connected with the Jewish faith of our Lord. Our Pastor

Monsignor Easton has a tradition of holding a Passover Seder meal to celebrate this

connection to Judaism.

The move in chess known as "castling" reminds us of the Pope leading the Church from

the safety of the Vatican and his castle retreat. The Pope was not always free to lead the

Church without political interference or threats. The "castling" of the Holy Father that

protects and preserves his authority comes through apostolic tradition (the greatest of

which is represented by the Eucharist--the rook on the King's color) and public revelation

(The Bible), as represented by the Torah/Rook on the opposite color.

The eight pawns are the priests, deacons, monks and friars that serve the Church. While

the term "pawn" would at first be seen as a derogatory term that understates the value of a

priest, most ordained men would understand their role to be as one of a humble servant.

The "pawns" may be seen initially as the visible front line of the Church. That changes

quickly in any chess game. The pawns are unique in that they are the only piece that

cannot move backwards, in a sense symbolizing the life long commitment to celibacy.

However, end rank promotion (a pawn reaching the opposite end of the board and no

longer able to move) in the game of chess shows how they may have the opportunity to

accept an additional calling from God and advance and become leaders in the Church. An

end rank pawn may be upgraded to any other piece except another King, reminding us

that there never was nor can there ever be two popes at one time. Each pawn is named for

the piece it stands in front of. For example, the pawn in front of the Knight is called the

Knight's pawn and the pawn in front of the Rook is called the Rook's pawn. In the same

way, some priests and other religious have a "vocation within a vocation." Some priests,

such as the "Rook's pawn," have a special calling to promote devotion to the Eucharist.

Others may consider them self "Mary's pawn."

Finally, in chess the most unique piece is perhaps the Knight, in part due to its special

ability to jump over other pieces and land directly into the action by surprise. The

Knights, as perhaps suggested by the "Knights of Columbus" represent the lay ministers

and servants of the Church. This is sort of a catch-all category for those who are not

ordained and are part of the Church. The Knights on the King's color represent Catholic

lay ministers. Lay people are all called to be lay ministers of some sort. As Knights, we

are challenged to surprise people in our families, workplace and public with acts of faith

and to fight the war on our culture and our faith. Our priests serve and equip us to

minister to others (as the "Knight's pawns"). They can only do so much. We should not

leave the bulk of the Lord's work on them.

In our parish (the National Shrine of the Little Flower), the mascot of schools is the

Knight! What a great place to prepare our children. They are no doubt being taught from

a very young age to be lay ministers and active members of the Church.

The Knights on the other color represent the lay ministers of other Christian faiths, those

ordained outside of apostolic succession and the non-ordained. This represents people

who are sincerely seeking to serve Christ and therefore have some commonality and bond

in and with the Church but do not serve under the "King's color."

The Knight piece is also specially empowered with a "fork" ability, the ability when

strategically placed to simultaneously threaten and force one of two opposing pieces to be

captured. This represents the understated and underestimated lay vocation of those in

total service to the Lord who have forsaken marriage and/or having children and

therefore have that additional freedom to serve Christ and the Church. It’s an important

reminder that marriage is not necessarily a vocation for all of the non-ordained.

I passed out the chess figurines to my class as I discussed them and had them write a

short prayer for that corresponding element of the church. The students said these prayers

at home and in class for the Church.

One of my students who had received a pawn wrote this prayer:

I pray for the priests and deacon at the Shrine of the Little Flower and all priests that

they may teach the Lord's work and have strength, love and health. May they be in the

hands of the Lord and be in His light always and forever. Amen. --Keelin

All of the pieces of the Church as represented by the elements of a chess game are the

instruments of the Lord's work on earth. The core strategy of chess is "thinking several

moves ahead." We must always do this. Playing to win requires proper planning, which

must include prayer and discernment. The secondary strategy of chess is maximizing the

use of and when necessary, the sacrifice of the pieces. Some pieces remain on the board

for a long time and dominate the game. Others are sacrificed early. So it is in life.

However, with all of the "pieces" of the Church moving toward a common goal, it

advances us personally and the Church as a whole towards "checkmate," when sin is

defeated. The game is over and in death we are fully reunited with the Lord.