The King and Queen

        In a wedding that I have attended, one advice given to the newlyweds is “for the husband to treat the wife like a queen but for the wife not to forget that it is the husband who is king”.

       Applause was heard among the guests in the reception when the speaker gave this advice. I think there is really some truth to this statement.  The husband should always consider his wife the queen of the house. The wife should be treated with respect and she should be accorded with dignity. But, the wife should never forget that the husband is the king.

       The reason often given for failed marriages is “irreconcilable differences”. After years of married life, there are couples who would end their marriage either by divorce or annulment. They would allege that during the years they have been together, they found out that they have differences making their married life very difficult.  Separation, it is believed, is the only solution. This happens even if the couple already had children.

       If the wife is treated like a queen and the wife never forgets that it is the husband who is the king of the house, I think the differences between them can be minimized, if not avoided. A wife would always like that she is treated with utmost kindness and respect. The husband on the other hand, would appreciate if his pride as a man is recognized and not trampled upon.  Respect begets respect.

       In the game of chess, I often wonder why it is the queen that has been endowed with so much power. It is the queen who can move all over the chessboard. Her range is long and wide. The queen is so powerful that her loss would always result to resignation. If the queen is sacrificed in the game of chess, the win is considered to be spectacular and amazing. Any sacrifice that involves a queen is often recorded in the annals of chess history like that famous “Marshall Swindle".

       Would it not be better if the king is the chess piece that goes all around the chessboard to protect the queen? Chivalry seems to be lost in a chess game. It is the queen that that is obligated to protect the king. The king can only move one step at a time making him a very weak piece. He even often hides behind the pawns and the rook at his side.

       This situation seems to be ironic. In real life, it is the husband who is obligated to work   and earn for the family.  The wife usually stays at home.  The husband is usually perceived as the hunter and the wife the gatherer.   It is the king who leads the army in defense of the kingdom or in conquering another territory. The queen stays in the castle. 

       The game of chess mimics life in some respects. But, the king and queen in chess play different roles compared to real life…