5 Saints who loved the game of chess

The British Museum | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Cerith Gardiner - published on 01/14/21

These holy men and women were fans of the game centuries ago.

Chess is enjoying a huge surge in popularity thanks to recent shows like Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit, which has garnered millions of viewers. And while the game may require the patience of a saint, only a handful of the Church’s holy men and women were known to be keen players. Here are just a few who used the game to build friendships and bonds, to send powerful messages, as well as to pass the time.

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