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INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER
Zulu chess
King is the supreme authority in the tribe, among his prominent roles are responsibility for the tribe's economy and decisions on going to war. The King of the Zulu tribe is characterized by a single feather on the head, he carries a shield and spear, the traditional weapons.
Because a Zulu chief is married to many wives, his Queen is not the king's wife but his mother. She is represented wearing the traditional clothing of a married woman completed by a wide hat headdress.
The Knight in the game represents the king's advisor, the advisor who is also a general in the army. The advisor is represented in sitting position to create a visual resemblance to the classical knight /horse piece and suggest a position of counseling.
The Bishop is the same rank as a counselor but is represented here as battle ready. He is in command of a group of warriors during a state of war. His distinctive visual characteristics are a large protective feather hat and spear.
Pawns are represented by “impi”, Zulu for the simple soldier. “Impi” are commoners without status who come to fight for the chief and tribe in times of war holding spears and shields.
The hut serves as the center of life of the tribe where the members of the tribe live and there are enclosures for raising cattle. The hut, which is the only structure of the tribe was chosen to represent the Rook which is the only structure represented in the classical game of chess.
The board is carved from a single block of wood according to African woodworking traditions which don’t include the use of glue. Adhering to that tradition, the difference between black and white is created by a method by which carved shapes in the dark wood are filled with light colored ground limestone.
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