Vedic Astrology & Chess

 Chess a Divine Game? There are some evident correlations between the game of chess and the astrology which lead us to the conclusion that Chess is a game inspired by the Universal Laws, maybe by the 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 Player of Chess is to thoroughly study and understand the network of influences and forces on the chessboard, then to elaborate a strategy that will lead him/her to the defeat of the opponent.

The Art of the Astrologer is to thoroughly study and understand the network of influences in the astrological chart, then to elaborate an overall conclusion of it.

So far, we seem to have only some general rules that apply to most board games.

Pieces - Planets correlations

Looking deeper into this, one may notice some striking correlations.There are some strong pieces-planets correlations.

The King is obviously correlated with the Sun. When the King is besieged and captured (checkmate), the game is over.The Queen is correlated with the Moon in astrology. The Moon moves the quickest of all planets, so does the Queen on the chessboard. In horary and electional (traditional vedic astrology), the Moon is the most important planet to be considered. So is the Queen in Chess.

The Pawns are like children, which are traditionally ruled by the Moon. When they grow old, that is, when they reach the other end of the chessboard, they become Queens. Therefore the Pawns are also correlated with Moon.

The Bishops are obviously correlated with Jupiter, since Jupiter rules the religion and the religious persons. However, as the Bishops move always 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, this is why the Bishops can also be associated functionally with Mars. So, the Bishops' nature is Jupiter/Mars.

The Rooks are also called Castles and are therefore associated with Saturn. But since they move only horizontally or vertically and the ideogram of Venus is in the form of a circle with a cross below it, we may say that the Rooks are functionally associated with Venus. So, the Rooks' nature is Saturn/Venus.

The Knights are also called Horses, and they move atypically by jumping over other pieces, much like flying. Therefore, the Knights may be associated with Mercury, the Roman name of Hermes, the messenger god, with winged sandals.

Houses - Game stages correlations

The astrological development of the game of ChessI'll present next the correlations between the twelve astrological houses of an astrology chart and the development of a game of chess.

The traditional "joys of the planets" are a particularly helpful concept here. It refers to the house where a planet enjoys itself, its energy being really appropriate and useful there. The 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 12th house.

The 1st house is associated with the beginning of the game. The players move the first pieces. At this stage, the Knights are very important as they jump over the Pawns and can attack the opponent's Pawns. Mercury (the Knights) has its joy in the 1st house.

The 2nd house is associated with the next stage of the game, the development of the pieces, the building of a structure of defense.

The 3rd house is associated with the construction of a line of advanced Pawns (associated with the Moon), communicating and defending one another. At this stage the Pawns are really important. The Moon has its joy in the 3rd house.

The 4th house is associated with the castling. The King is put behind a wall of Pawns, in a safe place. The first part of a regular chess game is over.

The 5th house is associated with thinking of a strategy of action; here the creativity of the player is put to trial. The main issue now is to strengthen one's position in order to impress the adversary. The Rook (Venus) enters the game for the first time, as it gets out of the chessboard corner through the castling. Venus has its joy in the 5th house.

The 6th house is associated with a stage of preparations. Once the overall strategy has been established in the previous stage, it is now time to put it into practice, first by apparently innocent moves. In the same time, one must be attentive to speculate any bad move of the opponent, while trying to fix any weak points in the defense. The Knights (Mars) should be used to control the diagonals. Mars has its joy in the 6th house.

The 7th house is associated with the attack, with the overt challenge. It is the first house over the horizon and from now on the game will be played openly. The real war begins.

The 8th house is associated with traps and pitfalls, the most dangerous stage of the game, when the attack may 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 captured: the 8th house is the turned 2nd house (pieces) from the 7th house (opponent).

The 9th house is associated with important steps toward victory. Once the defense line of the opponent has been broken, at this stage the King (Sun) may be threatened by check. The Sun has its joy in the 9th house.

The 10th house is the stage when the player is already leading and now has to plan the next steps to make toward 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) have now plenty of space to run across the chessboard. Jupiter has its joy in the 11th house.

The 12th house is associated with the end of the game. The Rooks (Saturn) are supporting from behind the Pawns to advance and transform into Queens, which will checkmate the adversary's King and bring victory. Saturn has its joy in the 12th house.

This is an astrological overview of the game of chess.But, Chess is a game of wits, which is governed by the moves of the players. It represents a mental warfare between two opposing players where the one with an agile mind and strength to succeed, wins this battle of minds. It is a board game played by two players.

By and large, it is believed that chess appeared in India around 5000 B.C. Several interesting legends abound this fascinating game. One of the legend states that the wife of King Ravana invented the game 4000-5000 years ago.

There is also a reference in the Bhavishya Purana about the game. Mahabharata, the great Indian epic, mentions the game of Chaturanga played between the two opposite sides of the Pandavas and the Kauravas.

When horoscope is simply a chart of heavens calculated by the rules of astronomy, it shows certain positions of the planets and zodiacal signs in relation to the earth. Indian astrology is popularly referred to as Vedic astrology. This is not because it is there in the Vedas (Veda means original knowledge and truth). There is no mention of astrology in the Vedas. However, it is one of the Vedangas, i.e., limb or branch of Vedas, and dates back to the Vedic period. Several of the Poojas and remedial measures prescribed in the Indian astrology are as per the Vedic system. Hence, it is called Vedic astrology. Ramayan and Mahabharat are the evidences of Vedic Astrology.