Cara/Andrea here, Today I’m talking about craft—on both an both abstract and physical level. Part of the fun of starting a new book is thinking up how to weave in the small details that give color and texture to the main plot and characters. In Scandalously Yours, which releases next week in paperback, I decided to have the opening scene 
revolve around a midnight chess game. I’m only a neophyte player, but the complex strategies of thrust and parry seemed to suit my cerebral heroine and soldier-hero. So naturally, being intrigued by the game, I needed to do some basic research . . .
The origins of chess are said to lie in a game called chaturanga, which developed in India during the sixth century. It quickly spread into Persia and became popular with the nobility. After the Muslim conquest of the empire, it spread west, reaching Europe by the late 900s. The Moors brought the game to Spain, and from there it made its way to the farthest reaches of the known world. The cerebral challenge, and the complex strategies of attack and defend played apparently played well across cultural divides, for chess was adopted with great enthusiasm wherever it was carried.
Its universal appeal is richly illustrated by the most famous chess pieces in the world—the Lewis Chessmen are 12th century figures carved out of walrus ivory, and were discovered in 1831 on the remote Isle of Lewis off the coast of Scotland. That’s about as far as one could go in those days, without out sailing off into the unknown, with maps warning “
Here be Dragons.”
The way the pieces could move on the checkered board varied widely from culture to culture, by the end of the 15th century, the modern rules for the basic moves had been adopted from the rules that governed play in Italy. It was there that the bishops were given their modern diagonal moves, and the queen became the most powerful piece. (The subsequent “modern” style was often referred to "Queen's Chess" The game we play today is pretty much the same as one developed during the early Renaissance, and the basic rules were finalized in the early 19th century.
Very early chess pieces were simply stylized shapes, as depicting the human form is taboo in Muslim culture. But once chess came to Europe, creativity took full flight, and the design of sets became an art in itself, with abstract forms morphing into all sorts of imaginative figures. Today they run the gamut from elegantly simple to fancifully elaborate, with everything in between. Whatever your interest, be it medieval knights or Star Trek characters, you can find a set to match your passion. However, the most popular standard design is the "Staunton" set, created by Nathaniel Cook in 1849 and endorsed by Howard Staunton, a leading player of the time.
The materials for the figures can also vary greatly. Wood, marble, semi-precious stone, gold, silver, ceramic—the list is endless, and includes whimsical fabrications as well as rare and exotic elements. That tactile quality appeals to me and I had some fun using the sensual feel of different elements as a plot device in several scenes between Olivia and Lord Wrexham in Scandalously Yours:
Lifting a whimsical papier-maché rook from the nearby board, John slowly twirled it between his fingers. “This is rather charming. Do you think my sister might like it?”
“I—I don’t know her tastes well enough to offer an opinion.”
John put it down. “What materials do you favor for a chess set, Miss Sloane? Wood? Stone? Precious metal? Or some other exotic substance?” A subtle smile played on his lips. “Spun sugar? Molten moonbeams?”
Olivia felt a tiny tickle of amusement tease at the back of her throat. “So that one could eat any mistake?” For a gentleman whose expression was normally so solemn, he was showing a very serendipitous sense of humor this morning. “Or only sit down to a game at midnight?”
The smile became more pronounced. “That could be an impediment. One never knows when one will be in a playful mood.”
Don’t look at his mouth. Wrenching her gaze away, she quickly crossed to the other side of the display table and feigned an interest in an elaborate set of burnished gold warriors, one side with shields made of garnets, one side with shields made of peridots.
“I would not have guessed that glitter and sparkle would appeal to your sensibility,” he murmured.
“I can admire the craftsmanship without yearning to possess them,” she replied tightly.
John surveyed the tables. “All jesting aside, what is your favorite material?”
He would probably think her half-mad if she tried to explain.
Ah, but most people think me eccentric, so what does it matter?
In answer, Olivia picked up a jade knight. “Shut your eyes and hold out your hand, sir. Palm up, if you please."
John hesitated for a fraction and then did as she asked.
“Describe what you feel,” she said, circling the stone in the center of his hand.
“A rock,” he quipped.
“Oh, never mind,” she muttered, stopping in mid-stroke. “You are making sport of me.”
“No, wait. Please do it once more.”
Olivia warily touched the jade to his skin.
“Hard. Cold,” he announced. “Smooth.”
“How about this?” She took up an ebony King and ran it across his fingertips.
His mouth pursed in thought.
She waited, and as she watched his face, a strangely intimate awareness suddenly stirred inside her head. John. His given name is John. Olivia decided it fit him. There was a strong, steadfast, sensible ring to the sound.
John cleared his throat, interrupting her musing. “It somehow feels…more alive.”
The answer took her by surprise. She hadn’t really expected a hardened soldier to have such a sensitive touch.
“That’s very good, Lord Wrexham.” I must not think of him as John. “Wood was once a living, growing organism, so for me it has more soul than stone.”
Both Olivia and John love the challenges of chess—what about you? Do you play it? Or do you have any other game that tickles your fancy? I’ll be giving away a copy of Scandalously Yours to one reader who leaves a comment here between now and Wednesday.
