Checkmate on The Western Fronts
Greetings, welcome back to the Hornet Editorial!
World War I is remembered for its unbelievable scale, devastating consequences, and the impact it had on nations all around the world. Yet, amid the chaos something else was happening – a battle on the chessboard.
The Great War, which raged from 1914 to 1918, brought together chess players from many different walks of life, each with their own stories, fears, and dreams. In the trenches and on the different fronts, soldiers and civilians turned to chess to find a form of distraction amidst the horrifying reality of war.
So, join me as I look at three different stories that all have their complexities and common ground between them. Through this blog, I hope to shed light on a lesser-known aspect of the Great War, where victory was not only found through might but also through intellect, determination, and the will to survive.
Germany
We begin at the 19th DSB Chess Congress, which began on July 20th, 1914. Chess players from all around the world have gathered at the tournament. But, on August 1st, 1914, midway through the event, Germany declares war on Russia.
After a brief deliberation by the participants, the tournament was immediately halted. Now that the event had been stopped, eleven players coming from the Russian Empire found themselves in the land of the enemy. The Russian players (which included Alexander Alekhine and Efim Bogoljubow) were put into a prison in Mannheim.
Efim Bogoljubow 📷
Whilst in prison, (due to the lack of an actual board) Alekhine and Bogoljubow played some blindfold chess games, one of which was published nearly 30 years later.
After a short stay in prison, the group of Russian players were transferred to a hotel in Baden-Baden. And in September 1914, four of the eleven Russian players being held (including Alekhine) were allowed to return back to Russia via Switzerland. Thereafter, the remaining internees enjoyed their own organized mini tournaments during the rest of their stay in Germany. The first one was held in Baden-Baden, but the following tournaments would be held in Triberg im Schwarzwald.
I could only find this game from the second tournament in Triberg. Very rare game to come by, but it's a great treat.
This game actually looks quite like one I may find myself playing. The mood of the tournaments don't seem to be like it's a fierce competition sort of thing, but rather just pretty casual play and/or practice.
Of the 8 tournaments that the Russian internees held, Bogoljubow won seven of them. And in that timeframe, he met Frieda Kaltenbach, a school teahcer's daughter, whom he later married in 1920. Thereafter, Bogoljubow settled in Germany and died in Triberg and died in 1952.
Austria-Hungary
As it turns out, another player at the 1914 DSB Congress was Rudolf Spielmann, a Jewish player from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Rudolf Spielmann 📷
Spielmann was placed third behind Milan Vidmar and Alexander Alekhine before the tournament was halted.
Rudolf Spielmann was notorious for sacrificing pieces. He was known as "The Last Knight of the King's Gambit".
Here lies a game Spielmann played against fellow Austro-Hungarian, Savielly Tartakower at the 1914 DSB Congress
Really brilliant tactical and defensive play from both sides. Spielmann didn't seem as gutsy as I saw him be in other games of his I observed, but this was definitely a good use of both his strategic and defensive skills (On a side note, Tartakower's World War I story is quite interesting, very well worth the read).
After World War I begins, Spielmann finds himself as a one-year volunteer reserve pioneer in military service. In August 1915, he addresses his father a letter:
My commander has made me acquainted with some chess-playing officers, and it was decided to introduce casual chess evenings, and two chess sets were soon procured, of which I always carry one in my backpack as spiritual nourishment. Of course, the playing strength is quite varying, while on one board some fanciful knight jumps are carried out, play on the other board is quite passable. One of the strongest players is staff physician N., who is a challenge even to me. The number of chess lovers among the officers has increased again in the recent past, so that one can actually speak of a chess club. My permanent opponents are now a cadet from our division and a doctor from Bregenz.
The question as to whether there are parallels between chess and the World War finds in me an eager yay sayer. The World War is like a great chess game, with two masters, namely Austria-Hungary and Germany, playing simultaneously, by going from board to board and alternately moving. Now we are in the French game, now in the English game, and now in the Russian game. As far as the Italian game is concerned, I have no high opinion on the strengths of their leaders. The old master Albin, in his aphorisms, says: “Nothing avenges itself more in chess, than the exaggerated underestimation of the opponent.” We should also keep this principle in mind. Nevertheless, I believe that the Italians can be given rook odds. We are not settled in any village but have built some barracks in God’s free nature and lead a true life á la Robinson. The mail man, who passes through daily, forms the only link with the outside world.
Now there is a ton of truth in those words, and as a master himself, Spielmann would know. It seems that his experiences in the Great War made him a wiser man and perhaps opened his eyes to more truths he had not fathomed.
Chess is in its essence a war game. The word "checkmate" originated from the Persian words "sha mat" which means "kill the king". Spielmann was a writer himself, so he most likely knew this.
In May 1915, Spielmann addresses another letter, this time to the Wiener Schachzeitung, an Austrian chess periodical.
After a 32 km long march fully geared, loaded with about 30 kg baggage, here I happily landed. I live in a quiet, idyllic location. In a wonderful forest with surrounding cliffs, which makes a somewhat gloomy impression with the continuous rain of the last days. Service is very simple, much less strenuous than a chess tournament. Have a lot of free time, which I would like to devote to chess study and the management of my columns. Unfortunately, however, I am completely cut off from the chess world. I would therefore be grateful to you for sending the latest issue of Wiener Schachzeitung. Best regards from yours R. Spielmann.
P. S. Many greetings to the valued club members.
My grandfather fought in the Continuation War. Carrying equipment plus your own gear through rough terrain is anything but easy. You find out exactly how tough you are when you face the guns. And in between fighting for your life what is there exactly? For Spielmann, it was chess. Now, the war may have been less stressful on Spielmann, but playing chess and connecting with his fellow men alleviated any existing stress that was still lingering.
When the war ended and Spielmann returned to high-level chess, it soon became apparent that his (along with numerous other masters who served in the war) play had suffered greatly due to his absence from the game. His critics felt that his post-war play was inconsistent than from before the war. Spielmann was still winning games in brilliant fashion, but he was also losing games in nearly a childish manner.
In the coming years, Spielmann would be finishing outside the top ten in major tournaments, even tying for last place in one of them. These were easily the worst years of his career, but in the mid to late 1920s, he began to make a comeback. I focus on this particular game versus Jose Raul Capablanca.
Spielmann scans the board in his mind, and in situations where the simple move seems like the right move, Spielmann finds the oddball move that may not look the best but is the best.
A great comeback for Spielmann, but ultimately a sad ending for him. As World War II arose, his siblings were interned in concentration camps. Two of his three siblings died in the camps. The one that did make it back never mentally recovered from the horrors that took place and committed suicide.
Spielmann himself escaped the Nazi's grasp and found refuge in Stockholm. But in 1942, Spielmann was found dead in his apartment after having locked himself up for a week. A sad ending to an inspiring life.
It just goes to show that the horrors of war and battle can affect even the strongest of heart. Spielmann persevered but ultimately gave up. In his view he had no hope nor the will to live. But there is always hope and the will to live, all you have to do is look around you, which brings us to our final story...
The Trenches
The trenches of World War I were a waiting game. Waiting to live, waiting to die, waiting for anything. And in that wait, men would do anything just to not be left alone with their own thoughts. Some would smoke, some would pray, some would play cards, but others would play chess.
Two soldiers playing chess in the trenches 📷
If you had a chessboard in the trenches, it was either a pocket chessboard or you had carved a whole board by yourself. That was the effort men put into a distraction from everything around them. The trouble wasn't exactly making a board, but more or less finding someone to share the other side of the board with.
In this rare, documented story, we follow two of those chess playing soldiers. A Mr. A. Vanoode is in the trenches in the region of Saint Georges, 20km W of Liège, Belgium. When Mr. Vanoode makes a truce of arms with a French soldier named A. Dussaixe they both find out that they share a great passion for chess! So, naturally they both pull out their pocket boards and play a game.
After move 17, white is clearly winning and will take the victory without a second thought. But also, after the 17th move, the sentinels shouted the alarms. Artillery was coming. Both Vanoode and Dussaix moved back to their respectful places in the trench.
According to Vanoode, Dussaixe shouted "J'aurai vain..." which translates to "I will be in vain...". But Vanoode does not hear the remainder of Dussaixe's sentence as a howitzer hit the trench burying Vanoode and Dussaixe.
Dussaixe unfortunately did not make it through the blast, but on the other hand, Vanoode miraculously survives (which is the only reason why this amazing story exists!) with a severe leg wound. The next month, Efrem Ferraris, a writer for the L'Italia Scacchistica receives a letter from Vanoode recalling the story and publishes the powerful account with what I can only imagine was an emotional response from the chess community.
Vanoode and Dussaixe were just regular Joe's like you and me. They had their dreams and hopes for the future, they had family, and they had hope. But in the dreary solitude of the trenches, nothing like that existed. Men like my grandfather found hope in God and men like Vanoode and Dussaixe found their hope in chess. Their decisions helped them mentally survive the war even if they didn't survive it physically. That hope that dream, was the will to survive. The future.
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved, and now we lie, in Flander's Fields...
Conclusion
I said in the introduction that these stories had their common ground. So, you may ask: What is that common ground?
Well, I would say, in conclusion, that these three stories remind us that history is woven with threads of strategy and resilience. The chessboard, with its intricate pieces and multifaceted moves, mirrors the complexities of global conflict. Even in our world today that's filled with so much war and anger, there is always hope. There was hope for the men I talked about the blog, and there sure is hope now.
Just as in the game of chess, we must adapt to unforeseen challenges, confront the harshest realities, and find the common ground that binds us together. World War I may have been a time of great pain and suffering, but the lessons of these stories remind us that even in oue darkest hours, the human spirit can rise above all, forging bonds that transcend divisions and allowing the missing parts to come together in peace.
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- @HornetCruise
