Despite its title, Caxton's Game and Playe of the Chesse does not, in
fact, have much to say about a game or about playing it ... Instead, the
work uses the chessboard and its pieces to allegorize a political
community whose citizens contribute to the common good. Readers first
meet the king, queen, bishops (imagined as judges), knights, and rooks,
here depicted as the king's emissaries. They are then introduced to the
eight different pawns, who represent trades that range from farmers to
messengers ... Paired with each profession is a list of moral codes ...
These pairings reinforce the idea of a kingdom organized around
professional ties and associations, ties that are in turn regulated by
moral law. - from the Introduction