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Check (alsochecker, Brit:chequer,dicing, orcheckerboard andcheckerboard pattern) is apattern of modified stripes consisting of crossed horizontal and vertical lines which form squares. The pattern typically contains two colours where a single checker (that is a single square within the check pattern) is surrounded on all four sides by a checker of a different colour.
The pattern is commonly placed onto garments and is, in certain social contexts, applied to clothing which is worn to signify cultural or political affiliations. Such is the case with check inska[1] and on thekeffiyeh.[2] The pattern's all-pervasiveness and simple layout has lent to its practical usage in scientific experimentation and observation, optometry, technology (hardware and software), and as a symbol for responders to associate meaning with.
The word is derived from theancient Persian wordshah[3] which means 'king' in the Sasanian game ofshatranj; an old form ofchess which is played on a squared board of alternating coloured checkers. It is more specifically derived from the expressionshah mat, 'the king is dead', withcheck-mate the equivalent modern chess term. The word entered theFrench language asechec in the eleventh century,[4] thence into English.
The incorporation of the checkerboard pattern in human-made objects has no definitive origin as the pattern has existed in assorted forms with multiple variations across continents and time periods. There are few known instances of its import into the regions and cultures in which it is featured. Its design and incorporation by humans into pattern-making andweaving precedes its common etymological characterisation and derivation from the wordshah in chess; the language conventions from which the contemporary English word 'check' is extracted are younger than some appearances of the pattern or its variations. Human uses for check predate its notable usage on the checkerboard in the board gamechess, which was developed in itschaturanga iteration in the late 6th or early 7th century AD.[5] This is illustrated by the comparative age of weaving which creates a checkered pattern as a byproduct of its process, as weaving is estimated to have originated in theNeolithic period or approximately 10000 BC.[6][7]Weavers have long produced checked patterns, but fashion trends and its level of ubiquitousness vary over time.[8] Check's varianttartan appears on the 3000-year-old mummy theCherchen Man.[9][10] The checkerboard pattern has also been identified inBronze Age pottery[11] andancient Roman architecture.[12]
Check may not have a single foundation specific to a practice, region or type of material because it appears within nature and thus can be imitated and adapted. Thecheckered garter snake,chequered skipper andcleridae, commonly known as checkered beetles exemplify natural occurrences of the pattern which have emerged without human interference or stimuli.
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Check appears in architecture as checkerwork (also chequer-work ordiapering): a laying of bricks or tiles of two different materials or colours in an arrangement that, when finished, resembles the checkered pattern. This design was popularly used across England and in nearby regions inparish churches and small houses following the 16th-centuryReformation.[13] Notable instances of its usage in England includes its appearance on the exterior of Hiorne Tower and above the windows inWestminster Hall.[14]
The pattern, in its tartan variation, is prominent in Scottish garment designs and gained notoriety from the 16th century onwards amongScottish Highlanders.[15] The design was introduced by theCelts[10] before it became a staple ofhighland dress. Following thebattle of Culloden, wearing check or tartan was banned through theDress Act 1746 in an attempt to control Scottish clans who supported theJacobite rising of 1745.[16] In the 1930s the checkerboard pattern was incorporated into the design of Scotland's police uniform which was later nicknamedSillitoe tartan[17] and adopted as a police symbol globally.[18]
Checkered stripes were prominent in textile designs around theCoromandel Coast in the 16th–17th century.[19] According to 17th century trade records, the use of the check pattern in ornamentation became widespread across South India.[19] Numerous paintings in theVeerabhadra temple display figures who dress in checkered cotton[20] and show the prominence of the check pattern in traditional dress.
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Check and its variant patterns have been commonly employed as fabric and textile designs used in the making of garments. After WW2, the popularity of check in high fashion increased as it was featured in the linings ofBurberry coats and worn by celebrities includingHumphrey Bogart.[21] From 1910 to the late 1970s it was implemented into a variety of dresses manufactured byNelly Don, which Mikyoung Whang[22] suggests, reflected the shifting role of women in the public eye as it offered an alternative to theMother Hubbard house-dress. The check pattern is often associated with formalwear as it, or its variants, are commonly implemented in dresses, skirts, suits, and coats.[citation needed]
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Damier patterns
This pattern also known as Louis Vuitton checkered pattern, was first introduced in 1888 by George Vuitton (Louis Vuitton’s son) . The namedamier is actually the French word for checkerboard. The design is basically brownish checkerboard patterns with alternating colours between lighter brown square and darker brown square. It was initially created to combat counterfeiters who were replicating the brand’s signaturemonogram pattern. This design is popularly known asDamier Ebene.[23]
Later,Damier Azur was introduced; it has a white checkerboard with a light blue background.[24]
Buffalo check orbuffalo plaid
This pattern has black hashes on a red background. In the United States, it got its name around 1850 when a designer at theWoolrich mill atChatham's Run in Pennsylvania (who owned a herd ofbuffalo) copied a pattern known as "Rob Roy" in Scotland, named after the folk heroRob Roy MacGregor. "No. 5310-402 in the Woolrich middleweight fabric collection" became associated withlumberjacks, as those nearby in the Pennsylvania woods were the main customers for the woollen shirts that used it. It became popular in mainstream fashion in the United States in the 1990s and 2010s.[25][26]
Windowpane plaid
This pattern is "a way to crosswarp and weft to create a pattern. A solid background sectioned off by narrow warp and weft stripes creates little "windows", or the windowpane plaid."[27]
Others
Other variations of checkered squares aretattersall,gingham, andshepherd’s check.
The black-and-white checkerboard pattern is heavily featured within the music genre and subcultureska[1] and themod subculture. The popularisation of this pattern in ska dress is attributed to the racial roots of the genre due to its symbolic representation of thetwo-tone era, a ska subgenre that emerged in the late 70s and popularised in the United Kingdom in the late 80s.[28] This is because the black and white squares in a check pattern were seen as fusing black and white culture, a notion that constituted the basis for much of the two-tone era of ska music.[29] Some of the most popular garments worn to represent ska are checkerboardVans shoes, check fedoras, check overalls[1] and check ties.
Check's notability as a distinctive and salient pattern has made it a commonly usedsignifier even compared with more pervasive descriptions like colour.[30] The pattern check's ubiquity causes concepts orsignifiants andsigns associated with the pattern to be contingent on contextual inferences. In trademark law (specifically trademark law concerning but not limited to the American legal system) this ubiquity is recognised, as the commercial uses of check are limited because check connotes identifiable meanings that "exist beyond that of particular products".[31]
Check is popularly implemented into thekeffiyeh, aheaddress worn throughout theMiddle East. Checkered keffiyeh are most commonly worn in the colours red-and-white and black-and-white but are also available in other variants.[32][33] Both favoured colours of the checkered variants of keffiyeh are popular inYemen[34] as a result of the design's import into the region following the1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight.
Each variation of a keffiyeh holds different symbolic meanings based on its pattern and colour although there is no underlying, universal symbolism to the Keffiyeh. Rather, its interpreted meaning is geographically, culturally and situationally dependent.
One iteration of the Keffiyeh is referred to as thePalestinian keffiyeh[2] which commonly appears in a black-and-white check iteration; they also appear in different colours including red-and-white and non-checkered patterns. It was traditionally associated with rural farmers who worked underOttoman rule but became a signifier ofPalestinian nationalism following the1936–1939 Arab Revolt in Palestine.[35][36] It has maintained prominence throughout the rest of the 20th and into the 21st century and is colloquially cited as Palestine's "unofficial flag" and a Palestinian political symbol.[37][2][36]
The red-and-white check keffiyeh is a symbol of PalestinianMarxists[38][39] but is also a common pattern with different symbolic connotations outside of this specific group. Its popularity inJordan is caused by its connection to the nation's heritage and connection withJordanian Bedouin history and fashion.[40]
Sites ofMasonic lodges commonly utilise checkered carpeting, tiling,parquetry or other types of flooring as the ground upon which Masonic rituals and lectures occur.[41][42][43] This flooring is often referred to as amosaic pavement, but glass and ceramic tiles are not necessary components of the design. The design of this flooring consists of a black-and-white checkerboard pattern surrounded by a border or skirt of tessellating triangles, which too alternate between the colours black and white. Whilst the checkered flooring is not a part of conventionalFreemasonry's specialised symbols or iconography, it is commonly used as a non-Masonic symbol within ceremonies, rituals and rites because of its connection to medievalstonemason craftsmanship.[44]
Checkered flooring has become ade facto sign ofFreemasons and signifies some members' connection to biblical parables and morals.[45] It also links to the lectures and teachings pertaining to the construction ofSolomon's Temple.[46] The idea of the pattern check, as a symbol within Freemasonry, is thought to have originated frombiblical representations of King Solomon's Temple.[41] It is believed that the ground level of the temple had a checkered ornamental flooring.[by whom?] Thus its placement within the lodge allude to the figureHiram Abiff, the chief architect of the temple and the protagonist presented as part of the teachings involved in the third degree masonic stage.[47]
The use of this pattern in and outside of ritual is symbolic, utilising contrasting black and white squares to displaydualistic cosmology concerning the presence of good and evil in human existence.[41] As Mackey's encyclopaedia of Freemasonry states:
The mosaic pavement is an old symbol of the order. It is met with the earliest rituals of the last century. It is classed among the ornaments of the lodge along with the indented tessel and the blazing star. Its party-colored stones of black and white have been readily and appropriately interpreted as symbols of the evil and good of human life.[41][48]
The checkered floor's existence as a physical representation of Freemason's moral law,[49] specifically concerning its connection to the principle of good and evil, is derived from the primacy of check in Solomon's temple.[50] This is due to the teachings of allegorical masonicmorality plays which are framed around the construction of King Solomon's temple[51] and incorporated into the teachings of Freemason moral law.[50][52]
Check is further utilised as a symbol in freemasonry on sometracing boards, which are typically used as tools or artworks used to assist the teaching of lectures that explain various concepts of the organisation to new or inexperienced members.[53]
Check patterns and variants that are used inheraldry are known to aschequy.[54] This pattern is sometimes used as an identifying mark on acoat of arms.
A well known display ofchequy is on thecoat of arms of Croatia and thecoat of arms of the president of Croatia, which are both checkered with red and white squares.
The check pattern is commonly used as a symbol because of its ability to contain contrasting colours and prominence. Inauto racing, a checkered flag is used to indicate that the race has finished because it is identifiable.[55] The origin of this flag and the reason for its usage in racing are undetermined.[56][57] It is theorised by Fred R. Egloff that the name originates from the 'checkers' who watched the finishing line and checked when cars had finished the race.[58] They began using chequered flags to identify themselves.
A variation of the checkerboard pattern, namedSillitoe tartan, is commonly used as a symbol to identify police and other emergency services.[17][18] It is used in numerous countries across the world and is incorporated into the design of police uniforms and stations.[59]
Originally developed in theUnited Kingdom,Battenburg markings are used on the side of emergency vehicles for high visibility.[17][60] These markings resemble a high contrast checkerboard pattern and look similar toSillitoe tartan. They are usuallyretroreflective;[60] this design choice was subsequently implemented into emergency service uniforms forhigh visibility.[61]
A red-white checkerboard pattern is widely used onairports because of its recognizability and visibility. Checkerboard is used on roofs,water towers and other buildings around the airports.[62][63]
The versatility and simplicity of the checkerboard pattern mean that the pattern has a wide range of utilities. Because of check's easy application to various instruments, fabrics, and other matter, its practical usages as a tool to assist various tasks has been widespread.[citation needed]
The check pattern has been utilised as a tool within multiple fields of scientific study to analyse the responses of fauna. This is due to the pattern's unanimity, simplicity, and variability in size as multiple iterations of the pattern can measure differing levels of complexity in responses. Animals have responded to checkerboard patterns with different biological mechanisms, allowing scientists to analyse the behaviour, intelligence, and physical limitations of different species. The pattern was used to elicit different camouflage reactions incuttlefish to analyse how they perceive size, light, and colour.[64] The pattern has also been used by Sutherland and Williams[65] as a tool to display the cognitive capabilities ofrats.
In the field of optometry, the check pattern has been utilised in a variety ofvisual acuity tests to measure the responsiveness of the pupil and a patient's ability to discern between different objects.[66]
The check pattern has been used to increase the productivity and ease of use of various technologies. In digital images, the checkerboard pattern is used to signal the transparency of a background in aPNG file. Check is also noted as a reliable pattern to use forcamera calibration according to Chunsheng Yu and Qingjin Peng[67] because of its ability to be easily recognised visually by people and computers.
In the creation of solar panels, the check pattern has been used as a configuration to optimise the absorption efficiency of photovoltaicsolar cells.[68]
The check pattern has been commonly implemented in the board of tabletop games to create a grid for players to dictate the movement of pieces. Thecheckerboard is used in a variety of games includingchess,draughts,makruk andshantranj. In chess, the checkered board upon which the game is played is referred to as thechessboard and it consists of an 8x8 square grid which holds 64 squares. Chess players usealgebraic notation to describe the movements of each player and refer to each square and piece with a specific letter and number.[69] The vertical columns of the chessboard are calledfiles and are labeled alphabetically froma toh, witha starting on the leftmost side of white's pieces, also referred to as thequeenside. The horizontal rows of the chessboard are namedranks and are attributed a whole number ranging from1 to8 where1 is placed on white's side of the chessboard.
On a board used by the medievalExchequer, the pattern is utilised to perform financial computations pertaining to taxes and goods. The title of Exchequer is derived from the checkered cloth or table upon which confrontational audits of Barons took place.[70]
The alternating and contrasting blocks within the check pattern are heavily utilised by artistM.C. Escher. Notable appearance of this pattern by Escher include theMetamorphosis series of woodcut prints,The Sky and Water Lithograph print series andThe Regular Division of the Plane series among several other works.[citation needed]
The artistJuan Gris also frequently incorporates the checkerboard pattern into his paintings. Artworks that feature the pattern includeStill Life with Checked Tablecloth, Violin and Checkerboard andHarlequin with a Guitar.[citation needed]
Weavers have always been able to produce pattern by crossing colored yarns into stripes and checks [...]. But early-twentieth-century fashion embraced simple woven patterns, so a quilt with an abundance of checks, plaids, and stripes may be from 1910 to 1925.
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