On chess and whether it is still banned

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SimonAnoff

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Hey all, I was mainly curious as to whether it is lawful to play chess? St. Peter Damian certainly considered to be unlawful, and so this sentiment spread quite fervently amongst The Church around the 12th and 14th century , following the Saint’s letter to Archdeacon Hildebrand (before he became the Pope). As far as I know, many were excommunicated around this time for playing it, and I was wondering if said unlawfulness is still in effect.

http://billwall.phpwebhosting.com/articles/Catholic.htm
 
That site gives no citations, and lists no evidence, only assertions.

Even if it were true (which I doubt, and expect it’s being taken out of context), it would appear that the stigma against chess is no longer in place.

What’s more likely, assuming a pope had issues with chess in the past (which I honestly doubt, but weirder things have happened), is that people were betting on their chess games. While it’s morally licit to engage in gambling assuming certain conditions are met, priests, who lack extra cash in general, would have been unnecessarily risking the meager stipend they used to live off of.

If there was a problem, it is more likely related to imprudent acts of gambling than the game itself.

Again though, this site gives zero citations, even when attempting to show that cannon law forbids chess. It’s either nonsense, or mis-attributions devoid of context.

Play chess, it’s fun.
 
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The timeline in your original post shows that chess began gaining wider acceptance in the late 14th to 15th centuries among clergy and popes, so it seems clear it’s not still banned.
 
Nothing created by God, whether it be a chess board or an automobile is a bad thing.
What is wrong is when human beings use God’s creation in a bad way.
Cheating at chess. Not obeying speed limits when driving.
It is not about the world. It is about the people in the world and how they conduct themselves.
 
I never realized Ruy Lopez was a Franciscan priest. That’s pretty neat, along with all the other saintly connections to chess.
 
Is this a joke thread? From what I’ve read about St. Peter Damian’s objection to chess, it was poorly founded because he regarded chess as a game of chance and didn’t understand the strategy aspect. A number of chess-playing bishops strongly disagreed with him and there was never any prohibition from the Vatican on playing chess.

In the 20th century, us kids played chess in Catholic grade school, in front of the nuns. Nobody minded. I’m pretty sure I’ve met priests and religious who played chess.

For that matter, we play “dice games” now too - many parishes have Las Vegas Nights to benefit the parish and have some fun. Also bingo, which is definitely a “game of chance”.

Bottom line is there is nothing sinful about chess as long as you’re playing in moderation, as with any pastime. And of course not doing anything ridiculously sinful like playing strip chess or betting your family’s rent money on the outcome of the game.
 
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Not obeying speed limits?? That seems like a stretch
 
From what I understand the version of chess that was unlawful was not the chess as we know it today. That version used dice and there were objections to it because of gambling.
 
Chess can be addictive for some people. If you are one of those people you should moderate your playing. But there is nothing wrong with the game per se. The alleged association of chess with games of chance is absurd.
 
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Yikes, sorry guys, my OCD must have just gone into overdrive over the aforementioned Saint’s qualms with the game, so sorry! 😦
 
Also, OP: Did you read your own source to the very end of the page, where it says things like this:
In the 16th century, Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada, Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), was proclaimed patroness of chess players by the Catholic Church authorities in Spain. In 1562, she included chess in her writings. She used chess as a metaphor in here classic work, “The Way to Perfection.” She once saved a soldier’s soul by teaching him chess. In 1970, she was named a Doctor of the Church, the first woman to be so named, by Pope Paul VI.

Cardinal Giocchino Pecci (1810-1903), who became Pope Leo XIII, was an avid chess player. He may have been the strongest pope to play chess.

Pope Paul Vi (1897-1978), commended the teaching of chess to children. He suggested that if children were occupied over the chess board instead of playing with war toys, the cause of peace might be served.

Karol Jozef Wojtyla (1920-2005), who became Pope John Paull II, was an avid chess player in his younger days. While acting as a vicar for university students in Krakow, Poland, he frequently played chess with other students.
Click to expand...
If chess was “still banned”, then would recent Popes and a canonized Saint and Doctor of the Church (St. Teresa of Avila) be playing it?
 
Sounds like I touched a touchy subject. Please obey the speed limits. Drive defensively.
 
I guess if the rest of us are driving defensively, then you can drive offensively. 😇
 
Sometimes obeying speed limits on highways where people usually go way above the allowed limit is dangerous to other drivers. One should use prudence to determine whether this is the case.
 
Ruy López, who gave his name to one of the commonest openings, wrote a book for beginners that included this advice: “Place the board in such a way that the sun is in your opponent’s eyes.” We can assume that Ruy López would have taken due care to avoid committing a sin. He was a priest. Here he is, on the left in the picture:
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
Darn those Templars and their chess-playing ways… No wonder they got in such trouble. 🙂
 
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