Chapter 8 Summary

Marco Polo spreads the wares from his travels at the feet of Kublai Khan. The pavement is checked black and white and on them Polo arranges a helmet, a seashell, a coconut, and a fan. He arranges these things and occasionally shifts them as he tries to explain the conditions of the empire. Khan, who is quite skilled at chess, observes the movements of these articles. He ignores the items and understands the system of arranging one with respect to the others. He thinks that if each city is like a game of chess, he will one day understand the rules and fully posses his empire. Marco Polo would do better to use a chessboard with its specific pieces.

Polo returns from his last mission to find the emperor waiting for him, seated at a chessboard. He invites Polo to sit down and...