LEE, BERNALLYN

LI150
CHESS by Rosario Castellanos
(An Analysis)

The poem “Chess” by Rosario Castellanos, used the game of chess as a metaphor to
affiliations and how relationship progress over time, setting limits between each other, and how
to attain each other’s emotional core. The mechanics of chess was used as a leverage and explain
how relationship progress. The time and meditation to finally win in chess but in relationships
it’s the time and meditation that finally sweeps the other away.
It has an apparent definition behind its complex, metaphorical context. But I personally
perceived it otherwise and reflect unto it with a completely different interpretation.
The three-stanza poem manifests a multifaceted meaning. The poem opened up with a
description of the friendship of the persona and the other subject, as well as contrasting the
characteristics of their relationship. The opening line "because we were friends and sometimes
loved each other" was explained as to how it is stated in the passage. It was then expounded in
the line "perhaps to add more tie to the many that already bound us" that they have been friends
for a long time. The final line of the first stanza poses as the highlight of the poem. The line "We
decided to play games of the mind" indirectly yet entirely represent the title Chess. The second
stanza stretches an understanding of these mind games they are about to play. It lay out the
mechanics of the game, defining fairness to both sides, elaborating the line "We set up a board
between us: equally divided into pieces, values, and possible moves." They first learned the
procedure and laid down the rules of the game before playing it as expressed in the line "We
learned the rules, we swore to respect them, and the match began.".
              
The turning point of the poem could be the third stanza. The wise usage of words gives
the poem a much deeper meaning and had put the poem to the pedestal.

"We've been sitting here for centuries, meditating ferociously how to deal the one last blow that
will finally annihilate the other one forever."

The more profound I immerse myself and analyze the reading, the heavier and intense the
atmosphere becomes. The hyperbole in this stanza describes the exertion of perceptible effort
and the dedication of both players in winning the game.

In a much more profound sense, the context of the poem deliberately tackles about the
conflict that exists between the two friends. The use of “were” and “loved” in the first line
clearly implies that their relationship and friendship is already a thing of the past.

It may come to your curiosity to why the poem was entitled Chess. What may be the
reason of the author to correlate human relationship to a game of knights and queens? Personally,
I find it simple. Chess was utilized to this poem as its main metaphor because Chess, like human
relationships, shouldn’t be engaged into unplanned and must take all the time in the world to
consider every possible option to keep your pieces standing.

Chess is also a wise object to intertwine human relationships with, because, ironically,
human relationships, unlike chess, isn’t a game to begin with. It doesn’t have set of rules and it
isn’t played out as planned. It comes as spontaneously as the breeze. We don’t play by the
mechanics, we don’t submit to the system and most importantly, we aren’t manipulated by
anything or anyone. We are the pieces itself. Moving forward and never backwards. Aiming to
reach the other end. To be a better piece or to achieve the progress in a relationship we are
longingly aiming.