Editing Rook (chess) (section)

==History==
{{further information|History of chess}}

In the medieval [[shatranj]], the rook symbolized a [[chariot]]. The Persian word {{lang|fa-Latn|rukh}} means "chariot",<ref>{{Harvnb|Davidson|1949|p=10}}</ref> as does the name of the corresponding piece in the original Indian version, [[chaturanga]], {{lang|hi-Latn|ratha}}.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} In modern times, it is mostly known as {{lang|hi|हाथी}} (elephant) to Hindi-speaking players, while East Asian chess games such as [[xiangqi]] and [[shogi]] have names also meaning chariot ({{lang|zh|車}}) for the same piece.<ref>{{lang|zh|現代漢語詞典}} (Modern Chinese Dictionary). {{ISBN|978-962-07-0211-2}}</ref>

[[File:Antique Indian Mughal Chess Rook Elephant.jpg|thumb|Antique Indian Mughal chess elephant made from sandalwood representing the rook]]

[[File:Grose-Francis-Pavisors-and-Moveable-Tower-Assaulting-Castle-1812.jpg|thumb|19th-century illustration of a [[siege tower]], which the rook may be intended to represent]]
[[File:NMSLewisChessmen6.jpg|thumb|The berserker used as a rook in the [[Lewis chessmen]]]]

Persian war chariots were heavily armored, carrying a driver and at least one ranged-weapon bearer, such as an archer. The sides of the chariot were built to resemble fortified stone work, giving the impression of small, mobile buildings, causing terror on the battlefield.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

In Europe, the castle or tower appears for the first time in the 16th century in [[Marco Girolamo Vida|Vida]]'s 1550 {{lang|la|Ludus Scacchia}}, and then as a tower on the back of an elephant. In time, the elephant disappeared and only the tower was used as the piece.<ref>{{cite web | title= Article by Dr. Hans Holländer, "CYCLOPES, ELEPHANTS AND CHESS ROOKS" |url= http://www.chess-museum.com/cyclopes-elephants-and-chess-rooks-by-hans-hollaumlnder.html |access-date= 26 February 2020}}</ref>

In the West, the rook is almost universally represented as a [[crenellation|crenellated]] [[Turret (architecture)|turret]]. The piece is called {{lang|it|torre}} ("tower") in Italian, Portuguese, Catalan and Spanish; {{lang|fr|tour}} in French; {{lang|nl|toren}} in Dutch; {{lang|de|Turm}} in German; {{lang|sv|torn}} in Swedish; and {{lang|fi|torni}} in Finnish. In Hungarian, it is {{lang|hu|bástya}} ("[[bastion]]") and in Hebrew, it is called {{lang|he|צריח}} ({{Transliteration|he|tsariʾaḥ}}, meaning "turret").<ref>{{cite web |script-title=he:מילון מורפיקס: צריח | url=https://www.morfix.co.il/צריח | access-date= 9 January 2022 |script-website=he:תרגום מורפיקס}}</ref> In the [[British Museum]]'s collection of the medieval [[Lewis chessmen|Lewis chess pieces]], the rooks appear as stern warders, or wild-eyed [[berserker]] warriors.

Rooks are usually similar in appearance to small castles; thus, a rook is sometimes called a "castle",<ref>{{Harvnb|Hooper|Whyld|1996}}</ref> though modern chess literature rarely, if ever, uses this term.<ref>{{harvnb|Horton|1959|p= 175}}</ref>

In some languages, the rook is called a ship: Thai {{lang|th|เรือ}} ({{Transliteration|th|reūa}}), Armenian {{lang|hy|Նավակ}} ({{Transliteration|hy|navak}}), Russian {{lang|ru|ладья}} ({{Transliteration|ru|ladya}}), Javanese {{lang|jv|ꦥꦿꦲꦸ}} ({{Transliteration|jv|prahu}}). This may be because of the use of an Arabic style V-shaped rook piece, which some may have mistaken for a ship.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=MpooAQAAIAAJ&q=%D0%9B%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%8C%D1%8F+|title= Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia|first= Marek|last= Stachowski|date= January 4, 2002|publisher= Ksie̦garnia Akademicka|via= Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date= 20 November 2022|title=ภาพแห่งปี! โรนัลโด้-เมสซี่โพสต์รูปเดียวกันขณะนั่งเล่นหมากรุก |url=https://www.siamsport.co.th/football-international/premierleague/7117/ |website=www.siamsport.co.th}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url= https://chessschool.am/lesson/15|title= Շախմատային նավակ|first= AIST|last= Global|website= chessschool.am}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last= Davidson|first= Henry A.|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PQBpr6KAdHkC&q=javanese+word+for+chariot&pg=PT66|title= A Short History of Chess|year=1949|publisher= Crown|isbn= 978-0-307-82829-3|language= en}}{{PD-notice}}</ref> It is possible that the rendition comes from Sanskrit {{Transliteration|sa|roka}} (ship); however, no chaturanga pieces were ever called a {{Transliteration|sa|roka}}. Murray argued that the [[Javanese people|Javanese]] could not visualize a chariot moving through the jungles in sweeping fashion as the rook. The only vehicle that moved in straight fashion was a ship, thus they replaced it with {{lang|jv-Latn|[[Proa|prahu]]}}. Murray, however, did not give an explanation why the Russians call the piece a "ship".<ref name=":0" />

Peter Tyson suggests that there is a correlation between the name of the piece and the word {{lang|fa-Latn|[[Roc (mythology)|rukh]]}}, a mythical giant [[bird of prey]] from [[Persian mythology]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Tyson|first=Peter|title=The eighth continent: life, death, and discovery in the lost world of Madagascar|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2000|isbn=0-380-97577-7|page=138}}</ref>

In [[South Slavic languages]], it is called the "cannon" ({{langx|sh-Cyrl|Топ|top}}).

In [[Kannada language|Kannada]], it is known as {{lang|kn|ಆನೆ}} ({{lang|kn-Latn|āāne}}), meaning "elephant".<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.english-kannada.com/|title= English :: Kannada Online Dictionary|website=English :: Kannada Online Dictionary}}</ref> This is unusual, as the term for elephant is in many other languages applied to the [[Bishop (chess)|bishop]].<ref>
{{Cite journal|title= How the Elephant became a Bishop: An Enquiry into the Origin of the Names of Chess Pieces|first= Howard|last= Candler|date= January 1, 1907|journal= Archaeological Journal|volume= 64|issue= 1|pages= 80–90|doi= 10.1080/00665983.1907.10853048 |url = https://zenodo.org/record/2238958}}
</ref>

===Name translations===
{{chess names|name=Rook}}