When the game was first played in the sixth century in India and the Arab world, the chess queen did not exist.

But in real life, powerful queens — see Eleanor of Aquitaine in the 12th century and Isabella I of Castile in the 15th — were making their mark.

Ms. Yalom posits that these examples inspired game makers to reflect such power on the board. Initially, the queen could move only one square, on the diagonal.

In time, the queen was granted superpowers and became the mightiest of all — at least in chess.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. — Mike

Thank you

To Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford for the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.

• We’re listening to “The Daily,” which features a special three-part series about a mysterious family in India.

• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword puzzle, and a clue: August is the only month that ends with one (three letters) . You can find all our puzzles here.

• Reporters and editors at The Times recently shared some examples of important local reporting from other news organizations.