During the Middle Ages, monks tried to represent the pawns as citizens. The first on a2 was an agricultural worker, the second a farrier, the third a weaver, the fourth a businessman, the fifth a doctor, the sixth an innkeeper, the seventh a policeman, and the eighth a gambler.
So think about that next time you start a game with 1.e4. That’s not just a faceless pawn you’re sending into battle — it’s a doctor. Maybe that’s why the names never caught on. It’s a lot easier to sacrifice a pawn than it is an innkeeper.
via Geekosystem
