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The social aspect Chess
Chess
was known to be a game of the noblemen in the past. There
are countless tales of how feudal lords used to play chess
as a pastime. Many of them were chess addicts having little
interest in any other pursuit in life. The problem perhaps
became all the more acute during the declining years of any
dynasty, as is shown in Satyajit Ray's famous movie "Satranj
Ki Khiladi". It is a vivid account of the rulers of Oudh
being doomed to passivity, when the British invaders were
conquering one native state after another. The members of
the royal family were totally engrossed in sports and entertainment
when the very existence of the state was threatened. Chess,
unfortunately, was one of their favourite things.
Such
episodes were bound to give a wrong impression about the game
itself. But one must not forget that many luminaries in the
fields of art, literature, and mathematics were chess enthusiasts.
It is a wonderful game and it should not be blamed if it attracts
all and sundry, including the much maligned nobility.
The impact
of the notion that chess is an idler's game was indeed great.
In the past, parents did not like the idea of their children
becoming chess players. Fortunately, the situation has changed
in Bangladesh. The success of our players in the international
arena perhaps helped a lot to transform chess into a socially
well accepted game. Today children attend coaching classes
organised by the Chess Federation and some of the parents
are ready to invest both time and money for chess. Small wonder,
we have a fine crop of young players ready to propel themselves
into the international field.
Credit
really goes to our chess organisers. Dr. Qazi Motahar Hossain
was the first president of the Bangladesh Chess Federation
formed in the mid seventies. So the federation had a good
start as it had an academician of Dr. QM Hossain's stature
as its first president. Since then the federation has undertaken
many programmes to promote the game in the country.
Let us
watch an old game today. It will take you back to the days
when chess was not a plebeian's pastime.
White-Adolf
Anderssen
Black-Louis Paulsen [C65]
London 1862
1.e4
e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 d6 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.h3 g6 7.Nc3
Bg7 8.00 00 9.Ne2 c5 10.Ng3 Bb7 11.Re1 Nd7 12.Rb1 f5 13.b4
fxe4 14.dxe4 cxb4 15.Rxb4 Nb6 16.Rb3 Qe7 17.a4 a5 18.Be3 Ra6
19.Qe2 Bc8 20.Reb1 Qd8 21.Ng5 Qe7 22.Nf3 Qd8 23.h4 Kh8 24.Ra3
Ra8 25.h5 Ba6 26.Qe1 Nc4 27.Rab3 Qd7 28.hxg6 hxg6 29.Bg5 Qxa4
30.Nh4 Qe8 31.Nf1 a4 32.Rh3 Kg8 33.Rg3 a3 34.Ra1 Bf6 35.Nxg6
Bxg5 36.Nxf8 Kxf8 37.Rxg5 Ke7 38.Ne3 Kd7 39.Rg3 c6 40.Nxc4
Bxc4 41.Qc3 d5 42.Rxa3 1-0
Position
after 20.Reb1
-PATZER
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