Chess surely requires wise tactics to win. But what if tactics were loaded with superstitions and craziness?
Today the game holds the throne as one of the most dignified and intellectual games in the world. But the Gentleman’s Game wasn’t exactly so in the early centuries of its evolution. The history of Chess is amusingly dotted with, and at times scarred by, weird antics, foul play and vengeance.
The Chessmasters in the early centuries came up with strange methods laced with superstitions and cheap tricks to ensure their victory. From cigars and cats to sunlight and amulets, many went overboard with berserk attempts to distract and defeat their opponents.
Some huff and puff over winning a game
In the 19th century when the rules for Championship games weren’t as professional as today, chess player Szymon Winawer smoked bad cigars deliberately to distract his opponent with the strong odour, while another player Harry Nelson Pillsbury smoked to enhance clear thinking.
Early century players had tricks up their sleeves like arranging for their opponent to sit against the sun so the strong sunlight would disturb them and affect their concentration, or to play after the adversary had heavy food and drinks so he would feel sluggish.
That was the time when rules weren’t pulled tight and one played at one’s convenience. But even into the later part of the century things don't seem to have changed drastically.
As in the strange case of Rosendo Balinas, the famous Filipino grand master, who himself crossed the boundaries of sanity with an overloaded concoction of honey-tea. In a game with the American chess master Jeremy Silman at the 1979 Lone Pine Tournament, Balinas decided to go for a cup of hot tea after around 10 turns.
As Silman himself described it, Balinas had a thermos filled with hot tea and a large cup of honey. The chess master added a little bit of tea to the cup full of honey and savored the thick gooey liquid to the last drop, much to the shock of his opponent. As the heavy sugar went straight to his brain, Balinas went into a stupor. Dazed, he managed to play another 12 turns before losing it to Silman.
In the 1930s the Russian-French player and the fourth World Champion Alexander Alekhine would bring his favorite Siamese cat to the games owing to his superstition that the pet brought him good luck. Later when rules prohibited him from entertaining his pet during the games, he instead changed to wearing a sweater that displayed the cat’s picture!
Pawns of the Same Board
If a cat accounted for Alexander Alekhine’s victories, more recent games of the century witnessed mind-zapping tricks that involved not just players but nations as well!
The notorious 1978 World Chess Championship between the great Soviet grandmasters Viktor Korchnoi and Anatoly Karpov was creepy enough to psych anyone out!
Both the players weren’t just fellow natives, but strong rivals in chess and political ideologies as well. While Karpov, a member of the Communist Party and pride of the nation who brought laurels of victories back home, was the ideal Soviet man, Korchnoi was an outcast. He was a rebel who left the country and continued to criticise the Soviet government and its system.
During their Championship games Korchnoi was said to be disturbed by the “intense stare” of Karpov and chose to wear mirrored glasses to hide his eyes from the opponent. Karpov, in turn, complained that he was distracted due to the reflected light from the mirrors.
The grandmaster is reported to have requested a thorough examination of Korchnoi’s chair for any “prohibited device.” He even used to distract his opponent by bringing his own chair and swivelling in it during the games.
Also, his habit of having yogurt during games was highly objected by Korchnoi’s team as they doubted that the changing flavors (and the colours) denoted some secret code regarding the next move.
We must remember that this was the 70’s, the era of the iron grip of Soviet Union. The game between the two world champions became a game of thrones between the Soviet loyalists and the Soviet Defector.
During their game, Korchnoi was further annoyed by a member of Karpov’s Soviet team, one Vladimir Zukhar who sat in the front row and stared maliciously at Korchnoi. The older player was certain that the parapsychologist was brought to hypnotise him by tweaking his “brain waves”.
Whatever the truth was, Korchnoi was reported to be at the end of his wits by the seventh game. To counter this psychic attack from the opposition, Korchnoi turned to two members of an Indian mystic sect called Ananda Marga. Dada and Didi, the two exponents of yoga and meditation were brought in to unnerve the Soviet team and ward off mind-manipulations.
The Brighter Side of Chess
Such incidents could highly amuse the present generation of chess nerds who go by clean rules and with their heads firmly fixed on their shoulders! Chess has become highly professional and so have the players.
The intense grip of political supremacy, crazy egos or blind passion that had shadowed the game in its inception and early evolution have given way to a healthier and professional game that is enjoyed by chess lovers around the world.
Today Chess is a healthy game - highly favored and recommended by neuro science researches and psychologists as an activity that stimulates the cognitive capabilities of the human brain. Learning and playing chess has been found to have positive effects on the thinking and reasoning skills in children as well as in the brain patterns of the elderly affected by Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Today schools recommend chess as part of the curriculum to boost students' performance. If you would like to know more about how chess could mentor your kids mind in the most productive way, visit https://www.mindmentorz.com/