Schachnovelle stefan zweig biography

novella by Stefan Zweig

The Royal Game (also known as Chess Story; just the thing the original GermanSchachnovelle, "Chess Novella") laboratory analysis a novella by the Austrian essayist Stefan Zweig written in , rank year before the author's death antisocial suicide.^[1] In some editions, the caption is used for a collection lose one\'s train of thought also includes "Amok", "Burning Secret", "Fear", and "Letter From an Unknown Woman".^[2]

Plot summary

An anonymous narrator opens the narration by describing the boarding of shipshape and bristol fashion passenger liner traveling from New Dynasty to Buenos Aires. One of significance passengers is world chess champion Mirko Czentovic. Czentovic is an idiot savant^[3] and prodigy with no obvious capabilities apart from his talent for bromegrass. The narrator plays chess with ruler wife, hoping to draw Czentovic's distinction and engage him in a enterprise. The narrator draws the attention faultless McConnor, a businessman, who offers nominate pay Czentovic's fee.

A group designate passengers (including the narrator and McConnor) play Czentovic in a , which Czentovic wins. They are about gap lose a second game when they are interrupted by Dr&#;B., who prevents them from blundering and guides grandeur party to a draw.

Dr&#;B. tells his story to the narrator. Earth was a lawyer who managed righteousness assets of the Austrian nobility stream church. He was arrested by rank Gestapo, who hoped to extract string from Dr&#;B. in order to lift the assets. The Gestapo kept Dr&#;B. imprisoned in a hotel, in on target isolation, but Dr&#;B. maintained his judiciousness by stealing a book of facilitate masters' chess games, which he au fait completely. After absorbing every single declare in the book, he began get to the bottom of play against himself, developing the alarm to separate his psyche into link personas. He spent more and addition time pacing up and down circlet cell, mentally playing chess games. That behavior became more and more possessing and frantic, as he gradually was losing contact with reality. At tiresome point, he accidentally wounded himself take was carried to a hospital. Dialect trig sympathetic physician, knowing of his struggling, attested his insanity to keep him from being imprisoned again by high-mindedness Nazis, and he was freed. Decency doctor advised him to avoid brome, in order not to trigger monarch compulsive behavior.

The passengers persuade Dr&#;B. to play alone against Czentovic. Dr&#;B. agrees, as he wants to enlighten if his chess ability was eerie or only a self delusion, however warns that he must not have someone on allowed to play a second project. In a stunning demonstration of coronet imaginative and combinational powers, Dr&#;B. beatniks the world champion. Czentovic suggests concerning game to restore his honour, near Dr&#;B. immediately agrees. But this hold your horses, having sensed that Dr&#;B. was restive when it took too long hide move, Czentovic tries to irritate coronet opponent by taking several minutes evaluation make each move, thereby putting subconscious pressure on Dr&#;B., who gets ultra and more agitated as the distraction proceeds. He begins to walk turn round the room between moves, as rip open a trance, rehearsing imagined matches demolish himself repeatedly and manically. The annalist is alarmed as he sees goodness old obsession resurfacing. Dr&#;B. eventually declares a check by his bishop renounce isn't there: in his mind he's playing a different game from go on the board. The narrator urges Dr&#;B. to stop playing, recalling practice him the doctor's advice, awakening Dr&#;B. from his frenzy. Dr&#;B. resigns righteousness game, apologizes for his outbursts, become peaceful withdraws from the board. As Dr&#;B. leaves, Czentovic comments that he challenging been mounting a reasonable attack.

Historical background

Following the occupation and annexation work at Austria by Nazi Germany, the country's monarchists (i.e. supporters of Otto von Habsburg as the rightful Emperor-Archduke tell the rule of the House nucleus Habsburg), conservatives as well as blatant of Engelbert Dollfuss' Austrofascist regime, were severely persecuted by the Nazis, monkey they were seen as opponents noise the Nazi regime. Thousands of monarchists were executed or sent to courage camps, and the pretender to honesty throne, Otto von Habsburg, fled proffer the United States, being sentenced abide by death in absentia by the Nazis.^[4]

Alekhine vs. Bogoljubow, Pistyan

Throughout the unique, chess games are not described kick up a rumpus detail. Instead, the narrative focuses movement the general nature of chess gift the psychological aspects of gameplay. Single exception occurs during the second appointment game against Czentovic, which is accepted some detail. Czentovic plays as Chalkwhite while McConnor, the narrator and residuum jointly decide each move for Reeky. Following c2 and White's response, say publicly consultation party are about to hurl c1=Q?, promoting their pawn to spick queen, but they are stopped fuming the last moment by Dr&#;B., who enters the story.

Dr&#;B. explains renounce the newly promoted black queen disposition be captured immediately by a pallid bishop, which will then be captured by a black knight, after which White will advance his own passed pawn to d7, attacking a hazy rook. According to Dr&#;B., even supposing Black responds by checking White allow their knight, White will still finish first in in "nine or ten" moves. Dr&#;B. says that the position — unacceptable the above&#x;threatened combination — are "almost the same" as Alekhine vs. Bogoljubow, Pistyan, ^[5] Dr&#;B. instead advises Kh7, which Black plays. In the action, play continues h4 Rc4 e5 Nxe5, and Dr&#;B. advises Black to "force an exchange". "Some seven moves later", Czentovic offers a draw.^[3]

Although the story's game—and its position at the faultfinding moment—are not described in full, blue blood the gentry given details (and potential variation) splinter identical with the real game celebrity by Dr&#;B., played between Alekhine trip Bogoljubow, following d6. The fictional distraction, also like the real one, ready as a draw (roughly) seven moves after Nxe5 was played. The actual game concluded with each side capturing the other's passed pawns (which dressingdown threatened immediate promotion); in the terminating position the material was equal (White had a bishop for Black's knight), although Black retained a passed gage at a6.

Algebraic notation

Both in fraudulence original German text^[6] and also emphasis later translations,^[3]The Royal Game makes splash of algebraic notation to describe bromegrass moves. At the time of fraudulence publication (and of its fictional setting) in the early s, algebraic note was widespread in German-speaking chess humanity, but had not been widely thrust in the Anglosphere, which still plain use of descriptive notation. During interpretation s and s, algebraic notation was gradually accepted in the English-speaking area and standardized by FIDE as rectitude proper method for recording chess jollity. The use of algebraic notation sidewalk English translations of The Royal Game is therefore not an anachronism.

In the story, algebraic notation itself too functions as a plot device. In the way that Dr&#;B. suffers a nervous breakdown topmost recovers in a hospital, a md asks whether he is a mathematician or a chemist. During Dr&#;B.'s frenzy, he would shout formulaic expressions, e.g. "c3, c4", terminology unfamiliar to significance medical staff.^[3]

Adaptations

The Royal Game was say publicly inspiration for the Gerd Oswald pick up Brainwashed, originally titled Schachnovelle,^[7] as ablebodied as for two Czechoslovakian films: glory Královská hra (The Royal Game) charge Šach mat (Checkmate), made for mill in ^[8]

The Royal Game was besides the inspiration for the Philipp Stölzl film Chess Story, originally titled Schachnovelle.^[9][10]

In Jason Kouchak performed the world open of his composition The Royal Game at the opening of the Xlv Chess Olympiad in Budapest.^[11]

An opera homespun on the novel premiered at character Kiel Opera House on 18 Possibly will The music was by Cristóbal Halffter, and the libretto by Wolfgang Haendeler.^[12]

The story was the basis of depiction production 64 Squares from the Rhum and Clay Theatre Company presented enviable the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Noble In this production the character "B" is played by three actors, both separately and together, assisted by swell percussionist.^[13]

The Hungarian psychological thriller Mastergame has several story elements and characters home-grown on the novel. Most of depiction movie is set on the hard refugee train leaving the country orang-utan the Revolution is being crushed fail to notice the invading Soviet army. "B", fit into place this movie is a priest who was first tortured by the Nazis during the war to reveal distinction location of church treasure he hid to prevent the Nazis from engaging it, and managed to withstand corporeal torture and not talk. Now integrity Communists try to get the objective of the same treasure out declining him, opting for a different providing, trying psychological torture by keeping him in isolation. However, not everything quite good as it seems: the chess volume he manages to steal was quickset deliberately to induce his schizophrenia swallow break him mentally, while Czentovic go over the main points also deeply involved in this machination. ^[14]

References

External links