My Chess Blog

"There is a time for living and a time for giving expression to life. There is also a time for creating, which is less natural. For me, it is enough to live with my whole body and bear witness with my whole heart. Herein lies a freedom." - Alburt Camus Meursault - the protagonist in Camus's phenomenal novel " The Stranger " said....after he was imprisoned and sentenced to death for an unintended......accidental crime....." When I was first imprisoned, the hardest thing was that my thoughts were still those of a free man ". Does not we Chess players harbour a similar feeling after committing something which disturbed the equilibrium in a position......much later though, when the position turns hostile at us...indicting us for the crime which we committed unintentionally.....accidentally......! Like in life, in Chess too, things happen in-spite of us......and therefore.... Chess is an Art ! .....and like in life, in Chess too, we think we are...

" You see, one thing is, I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. " - Richard Feynman The fine art of Chess lies in transformations......which necessarily means, pawn moves.....and exchanges - in short those changes that happen in a position which are irreversible!  And every time a pawn is moved and every exchange that happens are critical moments! A player's mastery of the game is revealed in how he perceives and responds in these critical moments. Magnus Carlsen differentiates himself in this art....from others.....supported by his undiminishing tenacity and great love for the game ..... .by just playing for little things! Little things is what Chess offers....it is a highly resilient game; and it is the mind of the opponent, with its allied apprehensions, that makes it big!  As in life, in Chess too, we are offered choices.... every moment ...

"Who says my poems are poems? My poems are not poems. When you know that my poems are not poems, Then we can speak of Poetry!" - Ryokan  The Zen poet of 18th century is spot on! This is the essence of creativity.....poetry....pottery.....or......! Creation is a dialogue.....an intimate dialogue between the creator and that which is being created. If this does not happen, then we would be better doing a mundane clerical job creatively! This dialogue is not limited to the one you can have with your pieces and your opponent pieces (you may actually lure and induct some to......!) .....but also ' the seventeenth fighting unit ' as Bronstein claimed! He further said, ".... but after all, your opponent also has the right to make mistakes, which, I would venture to assert, we do not always notice. That means.....That means that Chess mistakes are not so terrible " We shall observe who what and how of this seventeenth fighting unit in this story!...