Is chess a divine game? There are clear correlations between the game of chess and astrology that lead us to conclude that Chess is a game inspired by Universal Laws, perhaps in planetary movement.
Is chess another kind of astrology?
In Chess, we have a board divided into 8 columns and 8 rows, while in Astrology we use the zodiacal circle divided into 12 signs.
In Chess, we have 6 symbols: the pieces (King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook, Pawn). In Astrology we have 7 symbols: the 7 traditional planets (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn).
There are rules for the movement of these symbols and each has a specific value or interpretation.
The Art of the Chess Player consists of studying and thoroughly understanding the network of influences and forces on the chess board, and then developing a strategy that will lead to the defeat of the opponent.
The Art of the Astrologer consists of studying and understanding in depth the network of influences in the astrological chart and then drawing a general conclusion from it.
So far, it seems we only have a few rules of thumb that apply to most board games.
Pieces – planets correlations
Looking deeper into this, one can notice some surprising correlations.
The King is obviously correlated with the Sun. When the King is besieged and captured (checkmate), the game is over. The Moon moves the fastest of all the planets, just like the Queen on the chessboard. In time and election (traditional Vedic astrology), the Moon is the most important planet to consider. So is the Queen in Chess.
Pawns are like children, traditionally ruled by the Moon. When they get old, that is, when they reach the other end of the chessboard, they become queens. Therefore, the Pawns are also correlated with the Moon.
Bishops are obviously correlated with Jupiter, since Jupiter rules religion and religious people. However, since bishops always move diagonally and there is the planet Mars whose glyph or symbol is a circle with an arrow coming out of it in an oblique direction, that is why bishops can also be functionally associated with Mars. So the nature of bishops is Jupiter / Mars.
The towers are also called castles, and therefore they are associated with Saturn. But since they move only horizontally or vertically and the Venus ideogram is in the shape of a circle with a cross underneath, we can say that the Towers are functionally associated with Venus. So the nature of Rooks is Saturn / Venus.
Knights are also called horses and move in an atypical way by jumping over other pieces, as if they were flying. Therefore, Knights can be associated with Mercury, the Roman name for Hermes, the messenger god, with winged sandals.
Houses – Game Stage Correlations
The astrological development of the game of Chess I will now present the correlations between the twelve astrological houses of an astrological chart and the development of a chess game.
The traditional “joys of the planets” are a particularly useful concept here. It refers to the house where a planet amuses itself, its energy being really appropriate and useful there. Astrological tradition considers that Mercury has its joy in the 1st house, the Moon in the 3rd house, Venus in the 5th house, Mars in the 6th house, the Sun in the 9th house, Jupiter in the 11th house and Saturn in the house 12 house.
The first house is associated with the beginning of the game. Players move the first pieces. In this stage, the Knights are very important as they jump on the Pawns and can attack the opponent’s Pawns. Mercury (the Knights) has his joy in the first house.
The second house is associated with the next stage of the game, the development of the pieces, the construction of a defense structure.
The third house is associated with building a line of advanced Pawns (associated with the Moon), communicating and defending each other. At this stage, the Pawns are really important. The Moon has its joy in the 3rd house.
The fourth house is associated with castling. The King is placed behind a wall of Pawns, in a safe place. The first part of a normal chess game is over.
The 5th house is associated with thinking about an action strategy; here the creativity of the player is put to the test. The main problem now is to strengthen one’s position to impress the opponent. The Rook (Venus) enters the game for the first time, as it exits the corner of the chessboard through castling. Venus has her joy in the fifth house.
The sixth house is associated with a stage of preparations. Once the general strategy in the previous stage has been established, now is the time to put it into practice, first with seemingly innocent moves. At the same time, be careful to speculate on any bad moves by the opponent, while trying to fix the weak points of the defense. The Knights (Mars) must be used to control the diagonals. Mars has its joy in the sixth house.
The seventh house is associated with the attack, with the manifest defiance. It is the first house on the horizon and from now on the game will be played openly. The real war begins.
The 8th house is associated with cheating and cheating, the most dangerous stage of the game, when the attack can fail and this would lead to a decisive counterattack. If the attack is successful, the opponent’s defense line will be broken and some of his pieces will be captured: the eighth house is the second house (pieces) tapped from the seventh house (opponent).
The ninth house is associated with important steps toward victory. Once the opponent’s defense line has been broken, at this stage the King (Sun) can be threatened by a check. The sun has its joy in the ninth house.
The 10th house is the scenario in which the player is already leading and now has to plan the next steps to reach victory.
The 11th house is associated with the final stage of the game, when the final plan is put into practice. After both sides have captured many pieces, the Knights (Jupiter) now have plenty of room to run across the chessboard. Jupiter has its joy in the 11th house.
The 12th house is associated with the endgame. The Rooks (Saturn) are supporting behind the Pawns to advance and transform into Queens, which will checkmate the opponent’s King and bring victory. Saturn has its joy in the 12th house.
This is an astrological description of the game of chess, but chess is a game of ingenuity, governed by the movements of the players. It represents a mental war between two opposing players where the one with an agile mind and the strength to succeed wins this battle of minds. It is a board game played by two players.
Chess is generally believed to have appeared in India around 5000 BC. Various interesting legends abound in this fascinating game. One of the legends says that the wife of King Ravana invented the game 4000-5000 years ago.
There is also a reference in the Bhavishya Purana about gambling. Mahabharata, the great Indian epic, mentions the game of Chaturanga played between the two opposite sides of the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
When the horoscope is simply a chart of the heavens calculated by the rules of astronomy, it shows certain positions of the planets and zodiac signs in relation to the earth. Indian astrology is popularly known as Vedic astrology. This is not because it is in the Vedas (Veda means original knowledge and truth). Astrology is not mentioned in the Vedas. However, it is one of the Vedangas, meaning a member or branch of the Vedas, and dates back to the Vedic period. Several of the Poojas and the corrective measures prescribed in Indian astrology are according to the Vedic system. Hence, it is called Vedic astrology. Ramayan and Mahabharat are the evidences of Vedic Astrology.