The name "latrunculorum ludus" ("robbers' game", or I guess one might also translate it as "marauders' game" 😉) was used for "chess" in medieval Latin (it's also the name of an ancient Roman game, but that's not what I am talking about here). My brother sent me a text from 1724 which explains the chess rules (it came up on a Latin mailing list he's on). The text became garbled in the e-mail, but I found it on the internet: http://tinyurl.com/gkqms
Sorry, it's all in Latin... I haven't attempted to translate it yet (my Latin is very rusty, so I'll need to spend some time on it), but it seems to be quite amusing because it relates the moves of the pieces to the way the corresponding people in society behave (e.g. the queen is very powerful and can move like almost all other pieces, but of course she can't make those weird leaps of the horse because that wouldn't be seemly for an honourable lady). By the way, the elephants are what's called rook today.
Originally posted by NordlysEh?
The name "latrunculorum ludus" ("robbers' game", or I guess one might also translate it as "marauders' game" 😉) was used for "chess" in medieval Latin (it's also the name of an ancient Roman game, but that's not what I am talking about here). My brother sent me a text from 1724 which explains the chess rules (it came up on a Latin mailing list he's on). The ...[text shortened]... an honourable lady). By the way, the elephants are what's called rook today.