Check (pattern)

A check (also checker, Brit: chequer) is a pattern of modified stripes consisting of crossed horizontal and vertical lines forming squares.
Etymology.
The word is derived from the ancient Persian language word ', meaning "king", from the oriental game of chess, played on a squared board, particularly from the expression "shah mat", "the king is dead", in modern chess parlance "check-mate". The word entered the French language as ' in the eleventh century, thence into English.
History.
The origins of the checkerboard pattern remain unknown as the pattern has existed in its different variations across multiple continents and time periods. There are few known instances of its import into regions and cultures.
It appears to 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. Appearances of the pattern in textile manufacturing and weaving make up some of the oldest known sightings of the pattern;Weavers have long produced checked patterns, but fashion trends in fabric 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 also appears in architecture as checkerwork (also chequer-work or diapering): a laying of bricks or tiles of two different materials in an arrangement that, when finished, resembles the checkered patten. This design was popularly used across England and nearby regions in parish churches and small houses after the Reformation. Notable instance of its usage in England include its appearance on the exterior of Hiorne Tower and above the windows in Westminster Hall.
Scotland.
The pattern, in its tartan variation, is prominent in Scottish garment designs and gained notoriety from the 16th century onwards among Scottish Highlanders. The design was introduced by the Celts before it became a staple of highland dress. Following the battle of Culloden, wearing check or tartan was banned through the Dress Act 1746 in an attempt to control Scottish clans who supported the Jacobite rising of 1745. In the 1930s the checkerboard pattern was incorporated into the design of Scotland’s police uniform which was later nicknamed Sillitoe tartan and adopted as a police symbol globally.
South India.
Checkered stripes were prominent in textile designs around the Coromandel Coast in the 16th-17th Century. According to 17th Century trade records, the use of the check pattern in ornamentation became widespread across South India. Numerous paintings in the Veerabhadra temple display figures who dress in checkered cotton and show the prominence of the check pattern in traditional dress.
Fashion.
Check 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 of Burberry coats and worn by celebrities including Humphry Bogart. From 1910 to the late 1970’s it was implemented into a variety of dresses manufactured by Nelly Don, which Mikyoung Whang suggests, reflected the shifting role of women in the public eye as it offered an alternative to the Mother 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.
Ska.
The black-and-white checkerboard pattern is heavily featured within the music genre and subculture ska and the mod subculture. It has been suggested that the popularisation of this pattern in ska dress is due to its symbolic representation of the two-tone era; a ska subgenre that emerged in the late 70s and popularised in the United Kingdom in the late 80s. This is because the black and white squares in a check pattern were seen as fusing black and white culture; a notion which constituted the basis for the two-tone era of ska music.. Some of the most popular garments worn to represent ska are checkerboard Vans shoes, check fedoras, check overalls and check ties.
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.
Science.
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 in cuttlefish to analyse how they perceive size, light, and colour. The pattern has also been used by Sutherland and Williams as a tool to display the cognitive capabilities of rats.
Optometry.
In the field of optometry, the check pattern has been utilised in a variety of visual acuity tests to measure the responsiveness of the pupil and a patient’s ability to discern between different objects.
Emergency Services.
A variation of the checkerboard pattern, named Sillitoe tartan, is commonly used as a symbol to identify police and other emergency services. It is used in numerous countries across the world and is incorporated into the design of police uniforms and stations.
Originally developed in the United Kingdom, Battenburg markings, are used on the side of emergency vehicles for high visibility. These markings resemble a high contrast checkerboard pattern and look similar to Sillitoe tartan. They are usually retroreflective; a design choice subsequently implemented into emergency service uniforms for high visibility.
Board Games.
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. The checkerboard is used in a variety of games including chess, draughts and makruk.
Technology.
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 a PNG file. Check is also noted as a reliable pattern to use for camera calibration according to Chunsheng Yu and Qingjin Peng because of its ability to be easily visually recognised.
In the creation of solar panels, the check pattern has been used as a configuration to optimise the absorption efficiency of photovoltaic solar cells.
Other Uses.
The check pattern is commonly used as a symbol because of its ability to contain contrasting colours and prominence. In auto racing, a checkered flag is used to indicate that the race has finished. The originals of this flag and the reason for its usage in racing are unknown.
It is theorised by Fred R. Egloff that he name originates from the "checkers" who watched the finishing line and checked when cars had finished the race. They began using chequered flags to identify themselves. 
The check pattern is also used in many areas other than textile styles, for example: on a board used by the medieval Exchequer to perform financial computations, and on a board used for playing checkers and chessand in heraldry.
Check in Art.
The alternating and contrasting blocks within the check pattern are heavily utilised by artist M.C. Escher. Notable appearance of the pattern by Escher include the Metamorphosis series of woodcut prints, The Sky and Water Lithograph print series and The Regular Division of the Plane series among several other works.
The Artist Juan Gris also frequently features the checkerboard pattern. Artworks that feature the pattern include Still Life with Checked Tablecloth, Violin and Checkerboard and Harlequin with a Guitar
Variations.
Buffalo check or buffalo plaid 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 is a pattern of large rectangles or squares in a colour contrasting with the main colour.