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Ag Tosú Ficheall--aríst!

Nuair bhí mé dhá bhliain déag d'aois, rinne mé faillí a thabhairt i ndéanamh a foghlaim ficheall. Féachaim le staidéar fichealleacht aríst. Léamh mé fúithi go deireanach. Chonaic mé cluiche boird álainn leis fichillíní cloiche ina oifig dhéan agam le gairid. Is cuimhne liom ag fáil ag plé fúithi ar an úrscéaltaí Nhabokov-- leabhair áirithe air gan léamh agam fós.

Ansin, rinneadh taibhreamh dom faoi ficheall. Mar sin, fuair mé eolas fúithi ar na mallaibh. Bhí iontas orm faoi búnbhrí focail as Gaeilge. Is caill air "fios na adhmad"! Tá sé céann as Breatnais leis "gwyddbwyll," ach as Alban go bhfuil focal níos gar leis Béarla. Bhí sé seo go raibh "borda" chomh leis táiplis bheag.

Is cosúil é le seo go bhfuil an focal sin ar "An Ceithearnach" as Gaeilge. Is ciall é go raibh "saighdiúir coise"; an focal na hAlban go raibh "pán" chomh as Béarla agus teangalachaí eile go leor. Ar ndóigh, bhí sé an focal "An Caiseal" go raibh air as Laidin "castellum."

Ní raibh eilifintí ina hÉirinn nó Eorpach meánaosta nuair go déanta ficheall. Ach, fhás an cruinn na Easpaig in áit na ceann beithígh allta aisteach. Bhain sé dó trunc. Dheisigh sé leis mítéar easpoig in ionad creatúr bocht go raibh go tughtha ar Cathal Mór an Rí. Bhí ainm Abul Abbas é.

Tugadh mar bhronntanas é go Harun al-Rashid i 801. Bhí sé féin Cailif Bhaighdaid. Fuarthas saor é tabhartas nua ar an impire nua. Bhí Abul igcónai leis an Rí Franc i bpálás air ina hAachen. Bhí sé na capaill an namhad a scanrú chun siúil ina gcogadh ar aghaidh na Danmhargaigh.

Fuair sé bás i 810 ina daicheadaí air. Stúig sé leis niúmóine i ndiadh ag shnámh ina Réin. Ní raibh aon chuid dá dhua ag gabháil na Harun leis an eilifint dhíl. Thug calif go Cathal Mór a imirt clár agus foireann fichille.

Beginning Chess--again!

When I was twelve years of age, I failed to get how to learn chess. I look to study the art of chess playing again. I read about it recently. I saw a lovely game-playing board with chess pieces of stone in my dean's office lately. I remember getting the discussing about it in Nabokov's fiction-- certain of his books unread yet by me.

Then, I had a dream about chess. Therefore, I found information about it presently. I was surprised about the meaning of the word in Irish. It has the sense "intelligence of the wood"! It is the same in Welsh, "gwyddbwyll," but in Scotland it's a word closer with English. This was that of "tables" as in draughts.

It's similar with this that there's that word for "The Pawn" in Irish. Its meaning was "foot-soldier"; the Scots word was "pawn" as in English and many other tongues. Of course, the word "The Castle" was from the Latin "castellum."

There were no elephants in Ireland or medieval Europe when chess was happening. But, the design of the Bishop in place of the strange wild beast's head developed. The trunk was taken off. It was a design with a bishop's miter instead of the poor creature who was taken to King Charlemagne. Abul Abbas was his name.

He was a gift from Harun al-Rashid in 801. He was the Caliph of Baghdad. It was a new present for a new emperor. Abul lived with the King of the Franks in his palace at Aachen. He scared away the horses of the enemy in battle, against the Danes.

Death took him in 810 in his forties. He died of pneumonia after swimming in the Rhine. There was no charge for another gift from Harun with the faithful elephant. The caliph gave to Charlemagne for playing (a game) a chess board and set.

Léigh faoi ag imirt/ Read about playing (the game): Rialacha na Fichille/ Rules of Chess

Fáigh faoi ainmeacha ficilliní/ Find out about the names of chess-pieces Fichillin ina Teangachaí Dífríulaí/ Chess Pieces in Different Languages-- féach ar an fonóta #9 faoi focail ficheallachtaí Bhreatnais, Gaeilge, agus Gaeilge na hAlban/ see note #9 about chess-related words in Welsh, Irish, and Scots Gaelic le/by Ari Luiro.

Féic ar alt seo/Look at this article: Eilifint dó Cathal Mór/ An Elephant for Charlemagne by Jon Mandaville.

Griangraf/Photo: Fichillín "Chathal Mór" roimh 1200 go Salerno. The Chess Set 'of Charlemagne' before 1200, from Salerno. Go raibh maith agam alt agus ghrianghrafaí aige go brea le Jean-Louis Cazaux faoi fichillín lá eigin go gairid. My thanks to Jean-Louis Cazaux's fine photos and article on chess sets at an early date.