Royal Game of the Goose

Developed during the Renaissance, the Royal Game of the Goose is very similar to the children's game of Chutes (or Snakes) and Ladders. Why does Starover Blue remind Kinbote of the Game of Goose? He seems to be trying to connect the game to the phrase "wild goose chase", but I can't find confirmation that the term came from that game. (Rather, it seems to have been a sort of steeple chase in which the lead horse and rider would set the pace and direction while the following riders had to keep up.) The Game of the Goose is based on chance. Two dice are thrown, then the player moves his or her playing piece the number of spaces shown on the dice. As in Chutes and Ladders, there are special spaces that will send the player forward or backwards. So, in the style of Nabokov, should we be paying more attention to Starover Blue because he seems to indicate that the name is just a fluke, a goose chase? Starov is a common Russian last name, also the name of a famous Russian architect in the 18th century. A Russian Blue is a breed of cat.

Oh, cool! A website dedicated to Nabokov, named Zembla!