Chaucer's Knowledge of Chess

Description: The chess metaphor in BD shows that Chaucer's knowledge of the game, while not extraordinary, was adequate for his purpose. His knowledge could have come from being an actual player, from studying medieval chess puzzles, from knowledge of the "didactic uses of chess in literature," or from chess metaphors. Chaucer's use of the motif serves to express the depth of the Black Knight's love for his wife.