Chess on the battlefield

[David Robertson]

Here, in a clip from a Russian film, Zvezva (2002), a young war volunteer offers Chess as a key transferrable skill

[Michael Farthing]

Here, in a clip from a Russian film, Zvezva (2002), a young war volunteer offers Chess as a key transferrable skill

There seems to be a slight implication that the use of chess skills on the battlefield are minimal. This is, of course, nonsense. Here is a counter example from a young war correspondent writing about his crossing of the battle lines between the Soviets and the Whites bearing an important offer of a peace settlement from Lenin to Estonia:

[NB some of the ellipses below are mine and some are the original author's]

We had nothing whatever to show that we had any right to be there ... We saw a long column of cavalry, with a small group of officers riding at the head of it. We marched on... We marched on... and then there occured a fantastic miracle... I was walking along .. hoping that the moment of meeting would bring the right words, when it seemed to me that there was something familiar in the look of the young officer in command. I stared at him. He stared at me. He suddenly shot forward, pulled up his horce and exclaimed, "What luck! Now we can have that other game of chess!"

I had last met that young officer ... when we had played a memorable game of chess, in which, at a moment when he had obviously been winning, I had been fortunate enough to bring off a smothered mate. Nothing is more galling than such an ending to a game that had seemed won, and he had at once demanded his revenge. We had been interrupted even while we were setting up the pieces and had never met again until now. It never for a moment occurred to him that I had not as much right as himself to be where we were.

So chess is a useful battlefield skill, though this extract perhaps illustrates that being comparatively weak at the game might actually be more advantageous. This is certainly good news for me.

A Learned Forum, such as this be, will no doubt soon identify the name of the young reporter so I set that as, hopefully, an intiguing puzzle. The only clue I give is that his apparent left-wing inclinations are both surprising and (on his own account) inaccurate.

[JustinHorton]

Here, in a clip from a Russian film, Zvezva (2002), a young war volunteer offers Chess as a key transferrable skill

There seems to be a slight implication that the use of chess skills on the battlefield are minimal. This is, of course, nonsense. Here is a counter example

I'm not seeing anything in your counter-example which makes your case

[John McKenna]

While we wait for Michael F to return to the front - an old post of mine is a counter example of another kind -

Thanks for the reference to a review of a biography of Zhukov.

SNIP

...According to the Guinness Book of Chess Records - on the eve of the Battle of Trenton, 26 Dec. 1776, British General Rall received a note warning of American General Washington's planned attack. Rall was said to be playing chess at the time so he put the note in his pocket. It was found unopened on his body the next day following a British defeat that led directly to American Independence.

SNIP

Hope Michael makes it back from behind the lines.

[JustinHorton]

Rall was said to be playing chess

Or cards

[John McKenna]

I've also read that Colonel Johann Rall was playing cards and chess the night before the battle.

Michael F's young officer could be Alekhine. (I suspect Michael is not being too serious about chess being a skill that is transferable directly to the battlefield. However, chess is undoubtedly something some soldiers have in common no matter which side they are on.)

The title of the film David R refers to above is - Zvezda (The Star in Russian)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star_(2002_film)

[Michael Farthing]

Not Alekhine, I'm afraid