|
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Chessville
Advertise to Single insert:
|
Nineteenth century chess, as the aficionado well knows, also partook of the Romanticist sentiment. Positionally, the games were open, with gambits at the start, and speculative, sacrificial attacks making up the middle-game (with endgames seldom reached!). The great master of this period was Adolf Anderssen (1818 – 1876), whose games are still studied for their combinative brilliance. Indeed, when playing over the games of the Romantic masters, it’s very important to appreciate something of the zeitgeist of their times. The chess of today, not only technically but in our most general conception, is something quite different from that of the 19th century. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778), one of the fathers of the Romantic Movement, called chess “the touchstone of the human intellect”; and as late as the 1930’s, Alekhine could still avow it an art. For us, however, the Royal Game, the King of Games, is rapidly being reduced to a set of algorithms encoded on a silicon chip… In its most pervasive sense, this beginning of the end was something seen, something felt by the Romantics: while, on the one side, the wonder and mystery of human experience was being traded-in for cheap shoes, mass transit, and “daily news”, they still passionately sought, in so far as possible, to engage, and thereby evaluate, their existence for all it might – or might not – be worth… A fine insight, then, into this Romantic style of play is provided for us by the French writer Alfred de Musset. Early Life: 1810 – 1828 Alfred de Musset was born in 1810 in Paris. Both economically and culturally, the family was upper-class. The father worked in various key government positions and was also a man-of-letters (e.g., under his direction, in 1821, a complete edition of Rousseau’s work was published). In all likelihood, Alfred was introduced to chess by his father. The mother, too, is known to have been an accomplished person, and is particularly noted for having been a fine hostess. In fact, these drawing room parties, luncheons, and dinners given in the Musset residence would leave a lasting impression on young Alfred. The earliest indications of the boy’s special talents were seen in his fondness for acting impromptu mini-plays based on episodes from old romances he had read. Years later, in a very fine biography on his famous younger brother, Paul de Musset would preserve these, and many other details, for posterity (note 1). Thus, the dramatic, emotional aspect of de Musset’s personality came into expression. This tendency was, however, counter-balanced by a studious, introspective, and, at times, almost depressive, side. Throughout his life, de Musset would feel these opposite longings – the active and the passive – struggling for dominance within him. Eventually, he came to identify these respective urges as Romanticist and Classicist. His literary attempts to unify these divergent attitudes, the result being a controlled and yet active style, would form a major concern in his mature work. "It was time", de Musset said, "for a third school which should unite the merits of each." We have been left no clue how, if at all, this general aesthetic ideal affected de Musset’s view of chess. However, as he undoubtedly took chess as one of the intellectual arts, it must well have. Imagine, then, this as your chessic goal: the unrelenting fire of Anderssen’s attack combined with the crystal pure positioning of Capablanca. That would indeed be an ideal chess. Now, conceive of a man who strives to apply this philosophy to his very life…That would be an ideal man!
His calling is however literary and not pictorial, and soon the brush is traded, in earnest, for the pen. Adulthood and Fame: 1830 - 1847 In 1830 de Musset publishes Contes d'Espagne et d'Italie (Stories of Spain and Italy). Both stylistically and thematically, the work is perfectly attuned to the times, and thus finds immediate success. Even the eminent Victor Hugo praises the book, and, with his sponsorship, the young author is admitted to the prestigious literary group Cénacle. Greatly encouraged, a play, La Nuit Vénitienne (The Venetian Night), is dashed off, put into production, and staged. Unfortunately, the general quality of this work was not up to the high Parisian standards; additionally, the opening night was marred by various mishaps. Thus de Musset’s first play was deemed a flop. Henceforth, in a kind of reverse Shakespearean mode, de Musset will elect to have his plays published – and not performed! Over the next few years, de Musset’s literary fame will steadily increase. Although today primarily remembered as a poet and dramatist, his oeuvre will include short fiction, novels, and critical essays. But what, gentle reader, is a Romantic poet without love? Thus it was, in 1833, that de Musset began a tempestuous affair with the French novelist George Sand. Although remaining a couple a scant three years, this relationship would leave its mark on de Musset; the 1836 autobiographical novel La Confession d'un enfant du siècle (The Confessions of a Child of this Century) provides details (note 2).
Within a year of his break-up from Ms. Sand, in classic bounce-back style, de Musset is engaged to Parisian socialite Aimee d’Alton. The attraction, however, is ephemeral, and soon fades. For the rest of his life de Musset will content himself with brief, causal affairs. As is often the case with artists, de Musset’s emotional disappointments served to deepen the feeling of his work. Whether in the ironically comical play “It isn’t Necessary to Promise Anything” (1836), or the dramatic poem “October Nights” (1837), de Musset continued to develop as a writer. By 1845 he was awarded the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. In 1852, France’s highest literary distinction, election to the French Academy, was bestowed upon him. Last Years: 1848 – 1857 During the last decade of his life de Musset dedicated more of his time to chess than every before. Sometime around 1848 he became a member of the famed Café de la Régence. The anecdote of how he came to first visit the club is amusing: on November 27, 1847, walking from the French Théatre with the actress Mrs. Allan-Despréaux (his mistress of several years), she whimsically challenged de Musset to bring her into the Régence so that she might see his skill at chess!
Amidst the convivial French atmosphere, cigarette in hand and the Green Goddess (absinthe) at elbow, game after game was essayed. Sometime the next year, de Musset became a regular member of the club. We may judge something of the man’s dedication to the Royal Game that, despite the tense political and social situation in early 1848, he continued to daily frequent the Régence. In fact, the very moment the revolution broke out, midday February 24, de Musset was at the club engaged in a game. Rifle shots began to ring out in the streets; the poet ignored the ruckus and continued contemplating the board! The Régence Member’s Book of 1848 has the following inscriptions on de Musset. “Mr. Alfred de Musset, a player with an odd and extreme imagination.” “Mr. Alfred de Musset is always spiritual and generous in his manner of playing. This amateur, with elegant combinations and beautiful faults, is completely ready to fight honorably against a stronger player and to lose against a weaker one.” “Alfred de Musset often came to the Régence to engage in chess. Though perhaps he lost more than won, at his best he is quite strong.”
Unfortunately, I believe only the following game of de Musset, against the Italian master Serafino Dubois, has been preserved: Alfred de
Musset vs Serafino Dubois 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4 Qh4+ 4. Kf1 g5 (C33 KGA: bishop's gambit, classical defense) 5. Nf3 (Nc3 is more usual) Qh5 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. d4 (Nd5) Ne7 8. e5 Nbc6 9. Ne4 g4 10. Nfg5 O-O 11. Bxf4 h6 12. Ng3 Qh4 13. N5e4 Na5 14. Be2 f5 15. Nf2 Nd5 16. Bd2 f4 17. Nge4? (Kg1) Ne3+ 18. Bxe3 fxe3 19. Qe1 d5 20. g3 Qh3+? (Qd8)21. Kg1 exf2+ 22. Nxf2 Rxf2 23. Kxf2 Nc6 24. c3 Bf5 With Black holding the advantage of a roughly a pawn, White resigns. Alfred de Musset died of a rare heart condition (today known as Musset’s Syndrome) on May 2, 1857. Notes
|
The
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||
