Marostica, Italy’s living game of chess

Sometimes, there is nothing more relaxing and intellectually stimulating than just sitting around at your local café and watching a couple of people play a game of chess.  OK, so maybe it’s not for everyone, but for those that do enjoy spectator chess, there’s an event in Italy made just for you.  A small town near Venice by the name of Marostica holds a chess game every couple of years.  Better yet, they use living pieces.

The story behind the game goes back to 1454, when a lord had two suitors come to him asking for his eldest daughter’s hand in marriage.  The lord, instead of having the men fight a dual for her hand, had them play a game of chess.  The winner got the girl and the loser a consolation prize of the lord’s younger daughter.  Since then, it has become a tradition in the village for the people to reenact the event every other year, from Friday to Sunday during the second week of September.

The event begins with some pageantry, including music and a flag show.  People dressed up in 15^th century period costume take the roles of the two suitors, the lord and his daughters.  They also dress up the pieces in 15^th century costume and even give the knights on the board their own horses to ride.  The performance is repeated four times over the three-day period, though each game is unique in that both sides are trying to win.  At night, there are fireworks shows, and dancing and music performances are also held throughout the weekend, so it’s not just all about the chess game.

Marostica is one of Italy’s hidden treasures, so if you’re looking for a less touristy spot to visit in the country, it’s a good alternative.  Since this year is an odd-numbered one, there will be no chess match in the village.  If you want to see the living chess game, you’ll just have to wait until 2014.

Living Chess photo courtesy of venere.com