A brief history of chess - Alex Gendler
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TEDEd Animation
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The attacking infantry advances, their elephants already having broken the defensive line. The king tries to retreat, but the enemy flanks him from the rear. Escape is impossible. This isn’t a real war— nor is it just a game. Over the 1,500 years of its existence, chess has been known as a military strategy tool, a metaphor for human affairs and a measure of genius. Alex Gendler shares its history.
Why did chess pieces take on more abstract shapes when they were introduced to the Islamic world?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Alex Gendler
- Director Remus Buznea, Kyriaki Kyriakou
- Narrator Adrian Dannatt
- Animator Remus Buznea, Kyra Kupetsky
- Art Director Remus Buznea, Kyra Kupetsky
- Sound Designer Stephen Eugene Larosa
- Composer Stephen Eugene Larosa
- Music Stephen Eugene Larosa
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
- Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
- Fact-Checker Brian Gutierrez
