History of chess were finalized in the early 19th century. The modern move of the queen may have started as an extension of its older ability to once move two squares with jump, diagonally or straight. Marilyn Yalom says that the new move of the queen started in Spain: see history of the queen. In some areas (e.g. Russia), the queen could also move like a knight. A poem "Caïssa" published in 1527 led to the chess rook being often renamed as "castle", and the modern shape of the rook chess piece; see Vida's poem for more information. An Italian player, Gioacchino Greco,
Alfil (chess) Alfil (chess) An alfil (or elephant) is a xiangqi piece and fairy chess piece that jumps two squares diagonally. In many chess variants, but not in xiangqi, it can leap over intermediate pieces. The alfil jumps two squares diagonally, leaping over any intermediate piece. The alfil is a very old piece, appearing in some very early chess variants, such as Tamerlane chess and shatranj. The elephant in xiangqi moves like an alfil, but has additional restrictions involving where it can move. The piece was originally called an "elephant", and two of its alternate names were "hastīn" and "gāja", two Sanskrit