Human Chess Game
Object information
Made	1991
Usage	A giant chess set that had to be played on to get past
Owners	Minerva McGonagall (previously) Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

[Source]

The Human Chess Game^[1] was a chess set transfigured by Professor McGonagall to giant size and to make the chess men and women real. It was used to guard the Philosopher's Stone in the 1991–1992 school year.

On 4 June 1992, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were attempting to prevent the theft of the Philosopher's Stone by a servant of Lord Voldemort that, at the time, they believed was Severus Snape. After making their way past the Stone's first three defences, they encountered this obstacle in the fourth chamber. Ron took command of the black side, with himself, Harry, and Hermione replacing missing pieces, in order to defeat the obstacle and be allowed to pass. In the end, Ron sacrificed himself to the white Queen to allow Harry to checkmate the opposing King.

At the end of year feast, Albus Dumbledore awarded Ron fifty house points for "the best played game of chess that Hogwarts has seen these many years". Percy Weasley proudly boasted about his brother's accomplishment.

After the Philosopher's Stone was destroyed, the undamaged pieces of the chessboard were stored in the Room of Hidden Things.^[2]

Behind the scenesEdit

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Ron is actually riding the black knight instead of just taking its place on the board.
• In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Ron trips over a chess piece's sword, falls unconscious, and is unable to follow his friends.
• The filmmakers used radio and digital effects to create the movement of the giant chess pieces in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film). The explosive effects were created using compressed air. Ronald Weasley actor Rupert Grint states "I've actually still got a broken piece of the horse!"^[3]

AppearancesEdit

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Chess pieces)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Chess pieces)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game) (Chess pieces)
• Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game (First identified as Human Chess Game)

Notes and referencesEdit

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