Harry Potter's wizard chess

Harry Potter and friends engage in wizard's chess

In this fictional world of Harry Potter, there is a game along with quiddich called wizard's chess which is training for young wizards to hone their power.  What is surprising is that there is actually a modified chess game which allegedly used the game to both instruct and channel the occult.  Chess as a game has an unclear origin, but most believe it was a cross breed of european, hebrew, and some Asian games.  A favorite of nobility...chess became the game of kings, and has retained a mystical aura from its beginnings to modern times.

The modern magic movement started in the late 1800's with the hemetic order of the golden dawn, and they adopted and modified the enochian magic system of occult astrologer John Dee who was an important part of Queen Elizabeth I.

Royal magician of the court, John Dee

S.L. Macgregor Mathers, Leader of the Golden Dawn finished the wizard chess rules of Dee into the form where it could played as both divination and as a regular game of strategy.  The order was in demand in Ireland at the turn of the century bringing in artistic persons such as the poet Yeats.

Mathers on right performing the rites of Isis

Ultimately the order was broken up by Mather's friendship with infamous Aliester Crowley, who evoked such antagonism Yeats and others who found him and his spells repugnant.  Ultimately, the enochian chess is still taught and played today, a complex chess variation that may or may not have the power of divination. 

Enochian chess game