Chess. You know it as the game of kings, which evolved from India over 1,500 years ago. It’s a fascinating game that looks deceptively simple and yet plays out in extraordinarily complex ways—the progression of every game is different and the opportunity to learn or improve always presents itself.
Chess is also haunted by the stereotype of it being a stuffy, staid-looking Caucasians’ game. It looked as fun as a watch party of drying paint. But recently, the game revived in popularity due (in large part) to the 2020 Netflix TV series The Queen’s Gambit.
Fun facts for sure, but the only real statements concerning chess that matters come from its reverence and endorsement by the greatest hip-hop collective of all time: Wu-Tang Clan. Chess has long had an important role in the aesthetic and material of Wu-Tang Clan, both song and philosophy. RZA, its de-facto leader, wrote in (which chronicles the supergroup’s journey) that chess is part of their essence
