Welcome to the Black and White Jungle
By Kerry A. Shirts
The Black and White Jungle, a term used for Chess by World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, is an apt description of this magnificent game of kings. This Chess column will describe some strategies and tactics to use which will certainly help your game if you are an amateur, or even an intermediate player who is looking for some good tips. But first some anecdotes and a sparkling little gem of a game to whet your appetites.
Chess is one of those enduring games of mankind, an extension of ancient thought forms, nay we might even add, the 8th wonder of the world, that being the longest lasting and most cherished of any of the games ever invented by man. The conclusions drawn from various quarters of the world concerning Chess are really quite amusing not to say entertaining to read. It is, according to some, the sickness called "xylothism," (from the Greek "xylon" for "wood" and "othism" for "pushing"). It has been called a science, a game, an art, a waste of time, according to other assessments. One conclusion notes that great skill at chess is not a mark of greatness of intellect but of great intellect gone wrong. H.G. Wells noted that Chess "slaps the theory of natural selection in the face." Wilhelm Steinitz, the Chess Champion of late last century said that Chess combines the Spanish Inquisition with a Puritan witch-baiting, preserving the most exquisite tortures of each. Concerned parents for their children who spent long boring hours cooped up inside studying a board with weird looking chunks of wood, used to rant that their children's psychological temperment was being permanently damaged for their adult lives, since they never received as much sun as other "normal" children who played outdoors. Some countered with bragging that Chess helped mentally ill patients in hospitals because it gave them goals to achieve and something to concentrate on. Whilst all this subjectivity is rather amusing, what about Chess? Why does it capture the imagination, and what on earth is going on with folks who spend inordinate amounts of time with this ancient game which began approximately 600 A.D.?
It's one thing to play through a Chess Grandmaster's games and see how they played, it's quite another to play the same way! What about the rest of us? Once Chess is learned, (a relatively easy thing to do, the rules can be learned and understood in a matter of a few short hours at most), it is then that endless variations, combinations, sacrifices, strategies, tactics, and research can be done while learning and improving ones game. And the one common thread all we Chess lovers have, is that we are all amateurs looking to improve our game, and believe us when we say that politics and personalities, not to mention egos, get in the way and bruised at times. Hence the reason Garry Kasparov pouted like a kid who's lollipop got taken away from him when he lost to the Chess Computer, "Deep Blue" and his shouting tantrums and rantings that he will utterly destroy it next time he plays it. Its a very personal thing when one loses because this is a game of my mind against yours, my will against yours, and mine is smarter, more intelligent, and capable of thinking harder, longer, and better. It's one on one.
One rather hilarious tale is told that when Aron Nimzovitch (the famous father of the Hypermodern School of Chess developed earlier this century) was losing to a much lesser opponent, he stood up bolt upright, jumped up onto his chair and yelled "Why must I lose to this idiot?" We are amused when we learn that after one particularly hard fought game which world Champion player Alexander Alekhine played and lost, he grabbed his king and hurled it hard against the wall across the 50 foot long tournament room! In a different tournament, Nimzovitch yelled at his opponent Opocensky, who had stood up to stretch while the game was being played, "Stop shaking your belly!" We laugh in amusement at these merry old stories of the past Grandmasters of Chess. Not only is their wit and humanness apparent, but their wisdom as well as their pluck and verve is also. Dr. Tarrasch was asked once what the object of playing a gambit opening was. His plucky reply is rather tongue in cheek, and yet there is an element of truth to it. "To acquire a reputation of being a dashing player at the cost of losing a game," he said. Or again, we are reminded of Bobby Fischer's attitude in his world championship match with Boris Spassky, when Tarrasch was asked "What exceptional circumstances will justify the stopping of time clocks during a tournament game?" His answer: "Strangling a photographer." So why does Chess fascinate us? Because of the infinite variety and the never ending challenge of always being able to better ourselves. It is a personal accomplishment which helps us learn how to set goals and achieve them. It is the sole responsibility of each party whether a game is lost or won. It shows us our strengths, as well as our weaknesses, which we, with faith, and lots of hard work, can overcome. No two games have ever been played the same in its entire long history. Indeed there are more chess moves available in a course of a regular chess game than there are subatomic particles in the entire known universe! Now on with our gem of a game we selected after browsing through several hundred over the last few months, and next column we'll begin with tips, tactics, strategies, and even throw in a chess puzzle or two for your entertainment.
David Bronstein (contender for World Championship) vs. Mr. Queennabber (who plays white). We suspect Bronstein included this fun little ditty in his excellent book "200 Open Games" for kicks and giggles with tongue firmly in cheek. Nonetheless, what a dynamite game!
QueenNabber Bronstein
1. P-K4 P-K4
2. N-K2 N-KB3
White plays an unusual opening...
3. P-Q4 NxP
4. N-N3 NxN
Moving a piece twice before fully developing your pieces is not necessarily recommended
5. RPxN N-B3
However, white now opens the Rook file for attacking purposes...
6. N-B3 PxP
7. N-Q5 B-K2
In this position, Bronstein's opponent yells in Stentorian voice, "forward!" and plays
8. Q-N4 P-KN3
Bronstein calmly replies this to ward off the Queen from taking this pawn.
9. B-QB4 P-KB4
10. RxP PxQ
Bronstein yells out "Queennabber!" Grinning of course, just making sure his opponent realizes just who he (his opponent) is suppposed to be... (We think this is one of the most beautiful queen sacrifices ever played)
11. NxQBPcheck! QxN
The beginning of an extraordinary attack combination by white...
12. B-B7check! K-Q1
13. RxRcheck! B-B1
Relentless...
14. QB-N5 check! N-K2
White brings his entire minor piece arsenal out to get the black king...
15. RxB mate Bronstein was told by Queennabber that for this particular game he (Queennabber) was the Kingnabber...