Chess piece, bishop

Transcription

Narrator
Do you see the tiny figure wearing a hat and holding a kind of walking staff? 

Voice
Yes, you mean the white one? 

Narrator
This is actually a piece of real treasure that has a mysterious history. And you’ll never guess what it’s made of! 
 
Voice
It’s treasure? Really? Is it made of gold? Diamonds? 

Narrator
No – it’s made of something much more interesting! It’s made from something that sounds like this: 

(Walrus roaring) 

Voice
Wow, that was loud! What was it?  

Narrator
Guess. 

Voice
No, get on with it, just tell me! 

Narrator
Ha ha, okay. This figure has been beautifully carved from a walrus tusk.  

Voice:
A walrus? Is that one of those giant seals with moustaches? 

Narrator
Yes. You wouldn’t have thought of that! 

Voice
No. But I still don’t understand what it’s used for. You said it’s treasure. But why did you say that?  

Narrator
It’s an incredibly old chess piece. It’s one of the most valuable chess pieces in the world! It was found buried in sand on a beach in Scotland. But how do you think it might have ended up on the beach? 

Voice
Perhaps it was stolen by pirates? Is it pirate treasure?

Narrator
Yes, you might actually be exactly right.  

(pirate sound effects: "arr-arr me hearties – let’s be a-taking that precious chess set!”) 

Narrator
This chess piece was made almost a thousand years ago, probably by a craftsman in Trondheim, here in Norway.  

("Just look at this wonderful chess set!") 

Voice
So was chess invented in Norway?  

Narrator
No, chess is a board game that originally came from India. People play chess all over the world. 

Voice
Oh yes, that’s right. 

Narrator
But this is a genuine treasure! And it’s a fun thing that chess is now more popular than ever, a whole one-thousand years after this chess piece was made. And also that a Norwegian – Magnus Carlsen – has become the World Chess Champion! 

(NRK clip: "Happy birthday Magnus Carlsen"