In place of the queen, the Persians had farzin, a male figure whose name roughly translates to counselor. As H.J.R. Murray pointed out in his 1913 book, “A History of Chess,” the farzin’s ...

But chess has fascinated film since the silent era, infiltrating thrillers, romances, comedies, biofilms, documentaries, classy literary adaptations and cartoons.

This changed in the 15th century, when the chess queen gained unlimited movement in any direction. Most players would agree that this change made the game faster and more interesting to play.

Event on 7/23/04 in Palo Alto Stanford lecturer Marilyn Yalom plays chess with the Chronicle's John McMurtrie for a piece that weaves the match into a description of her new book, "Birth of the ...