One of Marilyn Yalom’s greatest arguments in the Birth of the Chess Queen, is the pan-European language that Chess came to embody.  She speaks of a lonely princess, forced to marry a prince of another land, passing her loneliest hours with a chess board.  The language of chess allowed her to communicate through the game; when she could not do it with words.  The power of this story really speaks to the importance that chess held in Middle Age Europe, a continent otherwise greatly divided through language and cultural differences.  The rules of the game were widely understood, with the largest variant between countries being the names attributed to the pieces and the respective representations used to depict them.  One could easily recognize a chess board and the prevailing rules that partner it, regardless of the names and design of the pieces.  In this respect as the princesses story reflects, a Spaniard  could play with Russian, with no need to explain the rules.  The game was equally enjoyed by all of the dominate European religions of the time.  A Christian would play with a Jew, who would play with a Muslim, especially during the Moorish regime of southern Spain.  Chess held no class distinction, commoners played as much as the aristocracy.  In most European countries the aristocracy popularized chess and then the game descended the social ladder, to become a game of all men, but in other countries like Russia it permeated through the masses almost simultaneously.   Chess latched on and became a crucial part of European culture, as a whole and in each respective country. The game, as in the example of the Norsemen, usurped local games, eventually becoming the most popular game in the land. The leader of the Norseman cited the importance of having skill in chess, as a way of surviving on the European continent. Thus in many countries, chess became a part of school for both boys and girls, and was seen as an essential part of being a well-round lady and gentlemen. The way in which European societies viewed the game seemed to be similar as well.  especially in connection to the Cult of Love, or the infatuation with beautiful women.  Almost all Europeans, regardless of cultural, particularly religious background, allowed women to play chess with their male counter-parts.  These matches were viewed with a romantic eye, two suitors in the battle of love. In a time when the male and female relationship was viewed very traditionally, chess allowed women to participate in what before would have been viewed as the men’s work.  The popularity of chess throughout Europe allowed for a greater connection socially and culturally between people who at the time were only connected through war, politics, and economy.