Szachy

Chess

Author

Jan Kochanowski

Language

Polish

Year

c. 1565

Country

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Genre

Epic / Long-form / Standalone Poem

0

Chess is a poem written by Jan Kochanowski, first published in 1564 or 1565. Inspired by Marco Girolamo Vida's Scacchia Ludus, it is a narrative poetry work that describes a game of chess between two men, Fiedor and Borzuj, who fight for the right to marry Anna, princess of Denmark. The poem anthropomorphises the pieces, presenting the game as a battle between two armies, in a style reminiscent of battle scenes in the works of Homer and Virgil.