Movies | TV | Books | Quotes Easter Eggs
[Slipups.com Logo] The Slip-Up ArchiveTM
SLIPUPS.COM
Home > Books > E - H > Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone/Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Bloopers Add a Slip-Up
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone/Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Incorrect Chess Setup
With all the chess talk elsewhere, I can't believe people missed this. Page 205, when they take the places of 3 chess pieces, Ron says: "Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle." In initial chess setup, the bishop is not next to the castle; the knight (which Ron becomes)is in between them. The rest of the discussion indicates that the pieces are indeed in their initial positions ("White always plays first...").
Be the first to post pictures of this Slip-Up!
Rated 4.5/10 (374 ratings) Your opinion?
Special Requirements: The book
Contributed By: Fast Eddie on 11-26-2000 and Reviewed By: Webmaster
If something isn't right, please Correct this Slip-Up

Comments:
Ygrane writes:
I think this is a slip up. She probably meant the castle on that side of the board (which ever side that was) as opposed to the castle on the other side of the board. Sort of keep Harry and Hermione together for moral support.
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
snoopy writes:
Some of the rules for wizard chess could be different from normal chess while others stay the same, what's wrong with that?
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
Fast Eddie writes:
Some rules *could* be different. But there is no indication that they are, and everything else in the description of the game seems to indicate that they are the same.
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
Matrix3311 writes:
Actually, I think that this could be due to Ron's modifier. He says Hermione go next to him instead of that castle. He probably means to go next to him but not directly next to him.
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
Digital_Sniper writes:
Maybe Ron means go into the piece beside Harry, not into the castle.
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
jelleybelley2653159 writes:
Maybe Ron wasn't in his position yet so when he told Hermione to go next to Harry, she really was next to Harry (for a little while until Ron went in between them).
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
aquaboy04 writes:
Are you people alive? Ron wanted Hermione to stand next to Harry. Ron never said, "Go next to Harry as the castle," He said to go next to Harry, the bishop, INSTEAD of the castle.
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
spanky writes:
On page 199 in the chapter The Mirror of Erised, it says, "Ron began teaching Harry wizard chess, and they are exactly the same except the figures are alive." So, yes, the rules are the same.
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
Cougarfang writes:
but the original knight piece would be between them anyways, so they wouldn't be right "next" to each other...
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
Hades writes:
The phrase was intended to give Hermione, who had no training in chess, good directions. "Go to the king-side castle." or "Move to A1." probably wouldn't mean much to most people. "Go to the castle by Harry." on the other hand, gives her (and the readers) a familiar point of comparison. Hermione (and the readers) knows who Harry is, but she may or may not know the correct chess terminology.
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
Empress writes:
Look: There are two rooks, at opposing ends of the board! So Ron didn't point; he said 'next to harry' instead to signify WHICH rook she was to replace. Get it?
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
the voice of pain writes:
He probably meant the same side of the board that he had just sent Harry to. He was indicating which Rooke he wanted her to take the place of.
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
Red Dog writes:
"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle." There are 4 "ROOKS" also called "CASTLES" on a chess board. Two black and two white. Hermione had to know which one she was to take the place of. The one near Harry or next to him. Who is to say J.K. Rowling didn't write NEAR and the editor replace it with NEXT because he/she thought it made more sense. It wouldn't be the first time a writer's wording was changed in editing. In either case, the positions of the chess pieces on a board are fixed so after Harry became the Bishop then Hermione had only one square she could stand on.
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes
littlenicky writes:
Most likely, Harry was standing next to the rook's square at the time. If not, "next to Harry" can still easily mean "near Harry". It's also possible (as was done in the movie) that Ron took the Knight on the other side of the board, fixing up the problem of Ron being in between them.
15 of 6576 found this helpful. Did you? Yes

Want more Slip-Ups?
More Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone/Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Bloopers
Top 25 Bloopers in E - H
All E - H Bloopers
Top 25 Bloopers
Newest Bloopers
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone/Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Easter Eggs

My Account - FAQ - Privacy Policy - About Us - Contact Us