Check (pattern)

Check (also checker, Brit: chequer, dicing, or checkerboard and checkerboard pattern) is a pattern 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 in ska and on the keffiyeh. 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.

Check (also checker, Brit: chequer, dicing, or checkerboard and checkerboard pattern) is a pattern 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 in ska and on the keffiyeh. 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. ==Etymology== The word is derived from the ancient Persian word which means 'king' in the Sasanian game of shatranj; an old form of chess which is played on a squared board of alternating coloured checkers. It is more specifically derived from the expression shah mat, 'the king is dead', with check-mate the equivalent modern chess term. The word entered the French language as in the eleventh century, thence into English. ==History== 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 and weaving precedes its common etymological characterisation and derivation from the word shah 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 game chess, which was developed in its chaturanga iteration in the late 6th or early 7th century AD. 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 the Neolithic period or approximately 10000 BC. Weavers have long produced checked patterns, but fashion trends and its level of ubiquitousness vary over time. Check's variant tartan appears on the 3000-year-old mummy the Cherchen Man. The checkerboard pattern has also been identified in Bronze Age pottery and ancient Roman architecture. 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. The checkered garter snake, chequered skipper and cleridae, commonly known as checkered beetles exemplify natural occurrences of the pattern which have emerged without human interference or stimuli. Check appears in architecture as checkerwork (also chequer-work or diapering): 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 in parish churches and small houses following the 16th-century Reformation. Notable instances of its usage in England includes its appearance on the exterior of Hiorne Tower and above the windows in Westminster Hall. ===Variations=== Damier patterns This pattern also known as Louis Vuitton checkered pattern, was first introduced in 1888 by George Vuitton (Louis Vuitton’s son) . The name damier 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 signature monogram pattern. This design is popularly known as Damier Ebene. Later, Damier Azur was introduced; it has a white checkerboard with a light blue background. Buffalo check or buffalo plaid This pattern has black hashes on a red background. In the United States, it got its name around 1850 when a designer at the Woolrich mill at Chatham's Run in Pennsylvania (who owned a herd of buffalo) copied a pattern known as "Rob Roy" in Scotland, named after the folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor. "No. 5310-402 in the Woolrich middleweight fabric collection" became associated with lumberjacks, 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. Windowpane plaid This pattern is "a way to cross warp and weft to create a pattern. A solid background sectioned off by narrow warp and weft stripes creates little "windows", or the windowpane plaid." Others Other variations of checkered squares are tattersall, gingham, and shepherd’s check. ==Other uses== 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. ==See also== Argyle (pattern) Battenburg markings Checkered flag Flannel Gingham Houndstooth Madras (cloth) Sillitoe tartan Square tiling Stripe (pattern) Tartan, also known as plaid Tattersall (cloth) ==Sources== Harrison, E. S.; Our Scottish District Checks; National Association of Woollen Manufacturers, Edinburgh; 1968 p6. ==References== __FORCETOC__

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