Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2022 March 19

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March 19

Writing style which consists only of outlines

I want to find out the name of the writing style in which only the outline of the letter is made, and the inside is the same as the background colour. Does it have a name?-- Abdul Muhsy talk 03:22, 19 March 2022 (UTC)

You mean "typographical" style, not writing style.

The only name I know for this is "outline font": see here or here, for example. Unfortunately, outline font has another, unrelated meaning referring to the way the shape of each character is defined on the computer. --184.144.97.125 (talk) 03:53, 19 March 2022 (UTC)

Helped Thanks. That's exactly what I was looking for.- Abdul Muhsy talk 04:16, 19 March 2022 (UTC)

I don't like "outline font," I would probably call it a negative space face. Temerarius (talk) 15:59, 24 March 2022 (UTC)

Chess pieces

The wife and I like to watch a BBC series called "Escape to the Country". In a visit to Northumberland, this chess set briefly appeared in the foreground of a shot. File:Wooden chess set 2021 03 20.jpg. A couple of pieces from the back rows are missing. But my question is whether anyone here has ever seen a chess set that looks like this? More specifically, what might the "theme" of the chess pieces be, if any? Thank you! --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:21, 19 March 2022 (UTC)

In historical Indian as well as Chinese and Russian chess sets, and for a brief period in Europe, the rook was represented by an elephant. See the image in Rook (chess) § History, as well as several entries under Translations. (Even earlier, the current bishop was depicted as an elephant.) The set may have been loosely and somewhat eclectically been inspired by historical sets. For the shape of the bishops, compare those seen here in a chess set from mid 15th century Italy.  --Lambiam 18:32, 19 March 2022 (UTC)

The white ones weren't popular, so they were discontinued. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:20, 20 March 2022 (UTC)

I see a certain similarity to this African chess set.  --Lambiam 06:33, 20 March 2022 (UTC)

Elephant depicted in Chinese chess

Alfil represented as elephant tusks

To clarify, the bishop that was originally an elephant, Alfil ("elephant" in Arabic). See:Cultural depictions of elephants § Games. "Rook" is from Persian rukh meaning "chariot" (sometimes depicted as a howdah fitted elephant. 2603:6081:1C00:1187:AC61:49CB:11A:6915 (talk) 01:24, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

References

What is the origin of the "mitre = tusks" explanation? Bishop (chess) § History refers to page 80 of Golombek (1976), Chess: A History, but there I read, "Moreover the shape of an elephant's head, with its dip in the middle, might have been confused with the shape of a mitre."^[1]  --Lambiam 10:28, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

I am unable to find a definitive source (the article could use one); the illustration is suggestive, however. Unfortunately, there is no Google preview for the Liddell, Chessmen (1937) book. 2603:6081:1C00:1187:AC61:49CB:11A:6915 (talk) 17:08, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ... Edit: 17:33, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

Finally, the two-horn protuberances that identified the abstract style Arab piece, symbolizing animal's tusks, were assimilated into the cleft miter borne by the bishops, giving it its English identity. (this is referenced, but that part of the notes is not visible on Google Books).

Cazaux, Jean-Louis; Knowlton, Rick (2017). A World of Chess: Its Development and Variations Through Centuries and Civilizations. Jefferson, NC: ‎ McFarland & Co Inc. p. 209.

Alansplodge (talk) 12:13, 25 March 2022 (UTC)

Thanks! I'll add that source to the Cultural depictions article. --aka:2603:6081:1C00:1187:8D6C:9868:2EFB:88D0 (talk) 18:18, 25 March 2022 (UTC)