What is
Chess ?
In the September-October 1962 issue of the American
Chess Bulletin there
was an article by William L. Napier of
from his article,
followed by a few thoughts on the
subject
from other sources.
"Leibnitz (1646-l7l6) is said to have described chess as
“too much of a game
for a science and too much of a science
for a game”. This was high commendation from the genius
who
disputed priority
with
Unfortunately,
however, his witty phrase, shrewd as it is and
apt, tells us rather
what chess is not than what it is.
"Facetiously, someone has said the game is closely
akin to
salesmanship, which
has been described as the 'art of letting
the other fellow
have your way' ... by own thought, founded
on life-long
association with players of many nations and many
grades, is that
chess is the playground of intellectual
combativeness. No other game stands close enough to this
definition to claim
lt; for chess, however, it is a snug fit, and
the players who do
not fit the definition are those who for
good reasons of
their own do not wish to mar their restful fun
with undue mental
exertion.
"Chess, serious chess, is peculiarly a mental exercise for
those positive
characters who enjoy downing stout opposition;
men, indeed, who
carry the competitive spirit of their nature
or their daily
pursuits over into their hours of leisure and
recreation... While
it would be idle to argue that chess
demands any special
mental equipment, yet the temptation here
is strong to talk of
a typical chess mind. That mind, if
such
there be, will
assuredly be independent, skeptical, eagerly
objective and
resourceful; and it will not be restrained by
overmuch meekness of
the sort that makes not leaders but
fellowers."
George Bernard Shaw described chess as "a foolish
expedient for making
idle people believe they are doing
something very
clever, when they are only wasting their time."
In 1732 Thomas
Fuller wrote: When a man's house is on fire,
it is time to break
off chess." Emanuel Lasker said: "by some
ardent enthusiasts
chess has been elevated into a science or
an art. It is neither. Its principal characteristic seems
to be what human
nature mostly delights in -- a fight."
Siegbert Tarrasch wrote: "Chess is a form of intellectual
productiveness;
therein lies its peculiar charm.
Intellectual
productiveness is
one of the greatest joys, if not the greatest one,
of human
existence. It is not everyone who can
write a play,
or build a bridge,
or even make a good joke. But in chess
everyone can,
everyone must, be intellectually productive
and so can share in
this select delight. I have always a
slight
feeling of pity for the
man who has no knowledge of chess,
just as I would pity
a man who has remained ignorant of love.
Chess, like love,
like music, has the power to make man happy."
How about: "Chess is a damned good game" ?
Ben McCready
My friend, Ben McCready, wrote a weekly
chess column
for the “Newtown
Bee” newspaper of
He lived in
of Southbury
I used to drop by his condo/apartment to
visit him after work
when I had my job at
He was a very friendly person. I remembered he was not
allowed at the
Heritage Village Chess Club because he was a renter,
as opposed to a
condo-owner. How unfortunate for them,
as he
was a very strong
player and should have been warmly welcomed
as an asset to any
chess club.
Ben has sinced passed on, and I will
always remember him
as the nice friendly
fellow he was.
http://www.facebook.com/ConnecticutChessMagazine