Have any of you read this book? The original title is Schachnovelle,
or chess novella. If so, which "chess goofs" did you notice in it?

Marco

Zwig described Bora Kostic, Yugoslav GM.

Goran Tomic

"Marco" wrote in message
om...
Have any of you read this book? The original title is Schachnovelle,
or chess novella. If so, which "chess goofs" did you notice in it?

Marco

(Marco) wrote in message . com...
Have any of you read this book? The original title is Schachnovelle,
or chess novella. If so, which "chess goofs" did you notice in it?

Marco

The "goof" I noticed was the inability of the world champion to
analyze without the help of a chess set.


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(Kennet Eriksson) wrote in message . com...
(Marco) wrote in message . com...
Have any of you read this book? The original title is Schachnovelle,
or chess novella. If so, which "chess goofs" did you notice in it?

Marco

The "goof" I noticed was the inability of the world champion to
analyze without the help of a chess set.

I also wondered about that. But my main complaint was the fact that
at the end of the story, one has the impression that the author has
been left unbeaten. Earlier in the story the narrator says that if
a stranger managed to beat the world champion it would be a worldwide
sensation. Yet at the end it looks as though Czentovic, the champion,
is still unbeaten, even though he had previously resigned during a
game with Dr B. I had the impression that Zweig regarded a resignation
as something better than a checkmate.
Anyway, I have posted below a summary of the story, taken from a
website (I made a few corrections):

Stefan Zweig's "The Royal Game"

His last work, published after his death, was The Royal Game. It was
published in the March 1944 issue of the Woman's Home Companion. He
wrote it in Petroplis, Brazil in January 1942. He called it The Chess
Novel (Schachnovelle). Some consider this the finest novel about chess
ever written.

He used two chess games to illustrate the psychology of Nazism.
Czentovic, a semiliterate Yugoslav peasant who has become the chess
world championtravels on a luxury ship from New York to South America.
He plays a game of chess with a group of wealthy passengers for $250 a
game. He wins the first game. He is about to win the second game when
another passenger, Dr. B, suddenly joins the group and spots a forced
draw. Dr. B is a Viennese lawyer and refugee who recently escaped
from a German prison hospital. He was imprisoned and tortured by the
Nazis in an attempt to force disclosure of some trust funds. He had
started to play chess with himself while in solitary confinement after
being arrested by the Gestapo. He had stolen a chess book from one of
his jailors' pockets, a collection of 150 master chess games. He
learned all the games by heart. He then started to play chess games
against himself, which ultimately drove him to the brink of insanity
("chess poisoning").

After his escape and restoration to sanity, Dr B. had avoided chess to
prevent another breakdown. But the sight of the chess pieces and the
chance to play a real person proved too great a temptation. He could
not restrain himself from aiding the passengers.

Requested to play a game by Czentovic, Dr. B first refuses. But on
learning that he is the world champion, he decides to play. Dr. B
beats the world champion in the first game, Czentovic resigns. He
challenges Dr. B for a second game (10 minutes per move).

During his second game against Czentovic, Dr B. breaks down,
exasperated by Czentovic's extremely long pauses. Dr B. announces a
non-existent check to Czentovic's king. Dr. B is then advised by the
narrator to quit the game, and does so. Czentovic looks at the half
finished game and remarks, "Pity. The attack was quite well conceived.
That gentleman is really exceptionally able. For an amateur."

The story has a lot of opposites such as educated vs uneducated,
gentleman vs peasant, mania vs calmness, smart vs stupid, quick vs
slow.

In his story, Zweig observes that chess is "more lasting in its being
and presence than all books and achievements, the only game that
belongs to all peoples and all ages of which none knows the divinity
that bestowed it on the world to slay boredom, to sharpen the senses,
to exhilarate the spirit."

In 1960 a movie, Die Schachnovelle, was made based on Zweig's The
Royal Game.
--

Marco

"tomic" wrote in message ...
Zwig described Bora Kostic, Yugoslav GM.

Goran Tomic

Was he also unable to play blindfold? Just curious.

Marco

In 1960 a movie, Die Schachnovelle, was made based on Zweig's The
Royal Game.
--

Marco


And a television drama on Omnibus which I saw as a child and would like to see
again.

(Marco) writes:

"tomic" wrote in message ...
Zwig described Bora Kostic, Yugoslav GM.

Goran Tomic

Was he also unable to play blindfold? Just curious.

The Oxford Companion describes Kostic as a specialist in simultaneous
blindfold exhibitions, including a session against 20 opponents. I've
read several places that "Centovic" is not based on any specific
grandmaster.

Another question: "Dr B" first appears as a spectator at a game
played by "Centovic" against amateurs, helping them salvage a draw.
This game is described in more detail than the ones later in the
story, and Dr B says it is like a specific game between Alekhine and
Bogolyubov. Has anyone identified this game? (I think Zweig refers
to a non-existent tournament, but perhaps he did have an actual game
in mind, and was careless of the details)

Hi,

if you like reading "ordinary" books with chess related topics don't miss:

Paolo Maurensig - The Luneburg Variation

Yours,
Jan Matthies
Chess Visualisation Training
http://www.janmatthies.info/chess/cvt/cvt.htm


"tomic" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
Zwig described Bora Kostic, Yugoslav GM.

Goran Tomic

"Marco" wrote in message
om...
Have any of you read this book? The original title is Schachnovelle,
or chess novella. If so, which "chess goofs" did you notice in it?

Marco

On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 22:29:16 GMT, (Charles Blair)
wrote:

(Marco) writes:

Another question: "Dr B" first appears as a spectator at a game
played by "Centovic" against amateurs, helping them salvage a draw.
This game is described in more detail than the ones later in the
story, and Dr B says it is like a specific game between Alekhine and
Bogolyubov. Has anyone identified this game? (I think Zweig refers
to a non-existent tournament, but perhaps he did have an actual game
in mind, and was careless of the details)
The game is quoted as being Aljechin-Bogoljugow, Pistyan 1922.

The score of the game is
[Event "It"]
[Site "Bad Pistyan CZE"]
[Date "1922.??.??"]
[Round "15"]
[White "Alekhine, Alexander A"]
[Black "Bogoljubow, Efim D"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C84c"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Nc3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4
b4 9.Nd5 Na5 10.Ba2 Nxd5 11.Bxd5 c6 12.Ba2 c5 13.c3 Rb8 14.Bd5 O-O
15.d4 exd4 16.cxd4 c4 17.Be3 Be6 18.Bxe6 fxe6 19.d5 e5 20.Rc1 Qd7
21.Ng5 Bxg5 22.Bxg5 Rbc8 23.Qe2 h6 24.Bh4 Rf7 25.Bg3 Qxa4 26.f4 exf4
27.Bxf4 Qb5 28.Bxh6 c3 29.Qg4 Qd7 30.Qxd7 Rxd7 31.bxc3 bxc3 32.Bd2
Rdc7 33.Bf4 Nb3 34.Bxd6 Rf7 35.Rxf7 Nxc1 36.Rf1 Nd3 37.Ba3 c2 38.d6
Kh7 39.h4 Rc4 40.e5 Nxe5 41.Bb2 Rc8 42.Rc1 Nd7 43.Kf2 Kg6 44.Ke3 Rc6
45.Bd4 Nf6 46.Kd3 Rxd6 47.Rxc2 1/2-1/2

The description of the game in the book starts at move 38 ... Kh7
(while the pawn promotion looks more natural but is losing).
The explanations and the score fit the real game. How
amateurs could have reached the position of move 37 against a
world champion remains a mystery, of course.

Zweig had a book containing a collection of grandmaster games which
he replayed daily at the time. I guess he took the game from there.

David

On 20 Sep 2003 21:57:28 GMT, (PJDBAD) wrote:


In 1960 a movie, Die Schachnovelle, was made based on Zweig's The
Royal Game.

And a television drama on Omnibus which I saw as a child and would like to see
again.

I too saw the dramatisation, which ran on the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation in the early 1960s. At that time I had been playing chess
for just a couple of years, but even today my memory is quite vivid.

The main part of the action took place on board a ship, where both
Czentovic and Dr. B. were passengers. A group of chess enthusiasts
were playing Czentovic in consultation. Czentovic had his back to the
consultants and was playing bridge at the same time. The consultants
would signal that they had moved by tapping on a glass of water. Dr.
B. came along and gave them some help, and together they managed to
save what had probably been a lost position. The scowl on Czentovic's
face when the draw was achieved was something to behold. Of course
the narrator (one of the consultants) spent most of the rest of the
film trying to set up a game between the two masters. Dr. B. was a
thin, nervous fellow with glasses, whose story of internment was told
in flashbacks. Czentovic was a dark, heavy-set fellow, whom I later
thought might have been modelled after Alekhine. I never forgot this
film, but unfortunately I've never seen it again.

Some time around 1980 a friend of mine was cleaning out his library
and found a copy of the novel. It is well worth reading!

By the way, I think John Turturro's performance in the film "The
Luzhin Defence" was absolutely brilliant. I'm sure that no little
credit goes to the chess consultant for that film, none other than
English GM Jonathan Speelman!