- The king is too valuable to be fighting itself so it has limited moves but he should be agile enough to escape danger. This is why the king can only move one square at a time but be able to move in any direction. Castling was created after the queen and bishop were given more power due to the increased danger. Castling was initially two separate moves but become one move to speed up the game.

- The queen was originally the weakest piece but it was made stronger to speed up the game and her power symbolizes immense political power.

- The rook got its name because the Persian word for chariot is Rukh. It sounds like the Italian word "rocca" for fortress and French word "roc" for rock. In battle, chariots move in straight lines to crush infantry which is why the rook moves straight.

- The knight was originally called Ashva in India. In Europe, it became associated with the knight. In battle, horsemen leap over obstacles and attack enemies from unexpected positions.

- The bishop originally was only able to move 2 squares diagonally. However, it was changed to unlimited range diagonally in order to speed up the game and represent the church's stealthy, indirect, and sweeping influence

- The pawn represents foot soldiers who march forward in tight formations. They were mostly peasants and were viewed as expendable. If a foot soldier tries to retreat, they will be punished and executed which is why the pawn cannot move backwards. The pawn was made to move 2 squares initially to speed up openings. However, this led to a problem because an enemy pawn who was already in enemy territory cannot take pawns that moved two squares. This is why the en passant rule was created where it allowed a pawn to capture other pawns that moved two squares.