Interviewing and profiling so many of the top women players in the world had diminished my own chess ego. Winning reacquainted me with my competitive streak. I was happy to see that part of myself again, the me who wanted to win so badly that I poured every shred of energy into my games and preparations.
I wandered around the streets and parks of the East Village, sipping an iced coffee. The weather that week was perfect, the type of weather that makes New York paradise. Why would I want to live anywhere else? A child jumped out of a newspaper bin and yelled, “Boo.” It struck me as funnier than it normally would have. My victory made everything appear to be shot in Technicolor: the emotional content of every experience was heightened. Every joke became funnier, every conversation more satisfying, and every dessert sweeter.
Soon after my victory, I visited my hometown, Philadelphia, to celebrate with friends and family. Whenever I return to Philly, I feel comfortable: I settle easily into the rust-colored couches in my living room; my feet navigate by memory the streets and coffee shops downtown. At the chessboard, my mind senses the same kind of familiarity. In such a relaxed state, I can often enter a zone. Not even conscious of my name or how much money I have in the bank, at times of peak performance I just let go. My sense of time relaxes, which can be problematic when the time limit approaches, but is ultimately my favorite aspect of the game. I’ve often awakened from deep thought wondering, Where was I? Chess thinking at its most pure is a realm where gender is not relevant. This is in sharp contrast to the culture and politics of the chess world, where women are such a minority that their gender is extremely visible.
Chess has also given me a gallery of fond memories and an unusually flexible lifestyle. I am twenty-four years old as I write this, and I have never worked in an office. Great chess moves can pierce me with momentary but intense pleasure like a smile in a dream. Then there are the worldwide travels and connections with people from Russia and China, half or three times my age. Still, I am distraught by how few women enjoy the freedom and pleasures that come with losing oneself in chess. To female readers, I pass the move to you.
Glossary
Adjournment. A game unfinished at the end of the playing session that is resumed at a later time; the last move is sealed in an envelope. Adjournments were gradually phased out in the nineties, partly because players could now use powerful computer programs.
Algebraic notation. System for labeling a chessboard so that each of the 64 squares is denoted by a number and a letter, from a-1 to h-8; files (left to right) are a-h and ranks (top to bottom) are 1-8.
Bishop. Piece that moves diagonally, as many squares as it wants. It’s worth about the same as a Knight, and significantly less than a Rook.
Black. Player with the black pieces. Black moves second, a major disadvantage when playing an experienced player.
Blindfold chess. Playing chess without sight of the board, indicating the moves orally in algebraic notation. Usually played in friendly exhibitions for fun and publicity.
Blitz. Chess games with extremely fast time limits, usually five minutes per player.
Blunder. A very poor move. Sometimes indicated on scoresheets or published analysis with two question marks; in contrast, an excellent move may be followed with one or two exclamation points.
Board one (also first board). The highest-ranked player on a team.
Castling. A special, composite move in which the King moves two squares toward the corner, while the Rook jumps to the square adjacent to the King. Castling brings the King to safety and centralizes the Rook, and experienced players castle in almost every game.
Check. The King is in immediate attack. The King must escape check by either capturing the attacking piece, moving, or blocking the check with another piece. It is not possible to capture an opponent’s King.
Checkmate. A position in which the King is in check and cannot make any legal move to get out of check. Few professional games end in checkmate, because players tend to resign long before checkmate. Often abbreviated to mate.
ChessBase. Company founded in 1987 in Germany by Frederic Friedel. ChessBase developed software that organizes millions of chess games and allows players to sift through all games played by a particular opponent or in any opening. Virtually every professional chessplayer uses ChessBase regularly. ChessBase.com is the most popular chess news source on the Net, run by the same company.
Chess clock. A double push-button clock to keep track of the time each player spends on a game; after moving, players stop their own clocks and start the opponent’s.
Closed position. Type of position in which there are few pawn trades and pieces are locked in behind pawn structures. Players who like long-term planning thrive in closed positions. See open position.
d4. White moves the Queen’s pawn two squares on the first move. The second most popular first-move choice, most often the choice of strategic players. d4 is favored by top women players such as Susan Polgar, Antoaneta Stefanova, Irina Krush, Zhu Chen, and the late Vera Menchik.
Dragon. An opening set-up for black in which the pawn structure supposedly resembles a dragon. A very risky and aggressive system.
Draw. Result in which the outcome is undecided or deadlocked. A draw is worth half a point. There are many ways to achieve a draw, e.g., upon agreement, when there is insufficient material for either side to give checkmate, or when the position is repeated three times.
e4. Moving the King pawn two squares on the first move. e4, usually the choice of attacking players, is the most popular move by a small margin, just ahead of d4. Its practicioners include Judit Polgar, Almira Skripchenko, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and Xie Jun.
Elo ratings. Rating system designed to estimate the relative strength of chess-players based on their tournament results. Named after Professor Arpad Elo.
Endgame. The phase of the game in which the material is reduced (usually Queens are traded) and the result often settled; players memorize the most common ones.
English opening. White starts the game by moving the Queen’s Bishop pawn two squares; commonly thought to be the safest first-move option.
Exchange. A common material imbalance, involving the difference in value between a Rook (a major piece worth 5 points), and a Bishop or Knight (minor pieces worth 3 points each).
Expert. Player with a rating from 2000 to 2199; the category just beneath Master.
FIDE (Federation International Des Eches). The worldwide chess federation, founded in Paris in 1924. FIDE assigns international ratings, awards titles, and organizes the most prestigious tournaments, including the Olympiad and World Championships. The president of FIDE since 1995, Kirsan Illymuzhinov, is also the president of Kalmykia.
First board. See Board one.
Fish. Slang for a weak chessplayer
Flag. Indicator on a chess clock that drops when a time is reached (even when using digital clocks). Players often shout out “flag” to announce a victory on time.
Fools’ mate. Black checkmates white in two moves; very rare, since it requires white to play the worst moves possible.
Gambit. Opening that involves the planned sacrifice of material.
GM. Grandmaster.
Grandmaster. The most distinguished title in chess. Awarded by FIDE, it is given to players who meet establised performance standards. A grandmaster usually holds a rating of 2500 or higher.
IM. International master.
International master. The second most distinguished title in chess. Awarded by FIDE, it is given to players who meet establised performance standards. An international master usually holds a rating of 2450 or higher.
Kibitzer. Players who hang around post-mortems or skittles rooms, offering often colorful—and sometimes unwanted—advice or comment.
King. The only chess piece that cannot be captured. The King moves one square in any direction. Because the King must be carefully guarded against checkmate, the King is rarely used as a fighting piece until the last stages of the game.
Knight. In many languages, the Knight translates to “horse.” A short-range but tricky piece that moves in an L-shape, the Knight is the only piece that can jump over other pieces, making it particularly valuable in closed positions.
Knockout. Event in which a player is eliminated after losing a match so that the field is reduced by half after each round.
Line. Synonym for variation, often used when talking about various opening possibilities.
Master. Player with a rating over 2200.
Material. Pieces and pawns. Material is counted by a relative value system, which players use a guideline when deciding whether to trade one piece for another. A large disadvantage in material often prompts experienced players to resign, because extra material is often the means to inevitable checkmate. The pawn, the least valuable piece, is counted as the basic unit, 1 point. Other approximate values are Knight (3), Bishop (3), Rook (5), Queen (9). Because the King cannot be captured, he is not assigned a point value.
Middlegame. The phase of the game between the opening and the endgame, where a player must rely on creativity, intuition, and calculating abilities.
Norm (grandmaster or international master). A prespecified rating performance against a specific number of internationally rated players. Three norms are required to become a grandmaster or international master.
Olympiad. Biennale team tournaments contested by teams representing the members of FIDE. The first Olympiad was held in London in 1927.
Open position. Positions in which there are many open files and diagonals, and fewer locked pawn structures. Often incites quick contact between enemy pieces, resulting in tactical play.
Open tournament. A tournament that is open to all comers, though there is often an entry fee.
Opening. The first phase of the game in which the pieces are developed. Strong amateur players have the basic ideas and moves of their openings memorized, while professional players memorize larger numbers of openings and variations, and often have new, never-before-played ideas, novelties. The names of openings can come from great players who invented or mastered the systems, such as the Najdorf Defense. Or they can refer to the opening’s origin, such as the Berlin or English Opening.
Pawn. The weakest piece on the board. Each player gets eight at the beginning of the game. Pawns are the only chess piece that cannot move backwards.
Pawn promotion. The exchange of a pawn that reaches the eighth rank (last row) for another piece, almost always a Queen.
Pawn structures. Locked formations that determine the pace of the game; often set up early in the game.
Performance rating. The rating level at which a player performs in a single tournament. For instance, a master (2200) level player has a 2500 performance rating if she has a tournament that would be average (e.g., three losses against 2500 players and three wins against 2500 players), and would not result in a rating point gain or loss for a player rated 2500.
Point. A unit used to give the result of a chess game; win, 1; draw 1/2; loss 0; in a 15-round tournament, a player who wins 8 games (8 points), draws 5 (2.5 points) and loses 2 (no points) has a total score that can be written 10.5/15 or 10.5-4.5.
Post-mortem. Analysis following a game.
Queen. The most valuable piece in chess, which can move on diagonals (like Bishops) and in straight lines (like the Rooks). In Mideval Europe, the Queen was the weakest piece on the board, and her sudden change in powers in the sixteenth century quickened the pace of the game. The presence of Queens allows for spectacular mating attacks and heightens the value of King safety. Trading Queens alters the nature of the game, usually transforming it into an endgame.
Rapid chess. Games with time controls that range from about 25 minutes a player to 60 minutes a player. This is in between the super-fast pace of blitz and the classical time controls, which range from a total of 2 to 3.5 hours for each player.
Rating. Numerical values used to rank chessplayers; classifications according to the USCF rating system include: senior master 2400+, master 2200-2399, expert 2000–2199, Class A 1800-1999, Class B 1600-1799, Class C 1400-1599, Class D 1200-1399, and Class E 1199 and below.
Resign. To give up by declaration. Often in view of inevitable checkmate or a tremendous disadvantage in material.
Rook. The most valuable piece besides the Queen. The Rook moves in straight lines and is particularly powerful in the endgame.
Round-robin. An event in which everybody plays everybody.
Sacrifice. Voluntary surrender of material in exchange for other advantages.
Scholar’s mate. A four-move checkmate that shows up frequently in scholastic tournaments.
Score sheet. Where all moves made by both player and opponent must be recorded by each player; moves must be written as they are made unless a delay is allowed due to extreme time pressure.
Skittles room. Room for post-game analysis where players discuss their tournaments games; a rich tradition in the chess culture.
Simultaneous (also simul). An exhibition in which a strong player is invited to take on many opponents at once. Can appear amazing to a lay observer, but depending on the strength of her opponents, simuls can actually be easy for a master chessplayer, who doesn’t really think on each board as much as make an instant intutive decision. This is usually enough for her to win.
Strategy. Long-term planning and maneuvering.
Style. A commonality between the opening systems, tactics, and strategies a player favors. Adjectives such as quiet, balanced, sharp, and aggressive are common ways to describe style: e.g., A sharp style is one that favors tactics and risky openings and variations. Talk of style can be misleading, since in many positions all strong chessplayers would choose the same move.
Swiss system. A popular tournament format for large fields, used for most open tournaments. Before the tournament, players (or teams) are ranked according to their ratings, and assigned seed numbers. In the first round, players are paired according to their seeds. If there are ten players in a Swiss system, in the first round the number-one seed will play the sixth seed, number two will play number seven, and so on. In following rounds, players are matched with opponents with the same or similar scores. A player and opponent can meet only once.
Tactics. Short operations requiring proficiency in calculating that force checkmate or a quick win of material.
Three-move repetition. The same position appears three times with the same player to move; either player may claim a draw.
Time control. Pre-determined time limit for a player to complete moves; if exceeded, the game is lost. Time controls range from blitz games, where each players has only three minutes, to classical games, in which each player has three hours.
Time pressure. When a player is forced to make a large number of moves in a short time, or else her time will run out and she will lose, regardless of how strong her position is. Time pressure often causes blunders.
Touch-move rule. Player who touches a piece must move or capture the piece.
Trade (pieces). Mutual agreement to give up pieces for opponent’s pieces, usually of the same value: e.g., a Rook for a Rook or a Knight for a Bishop.
USCF (United State Chess Federation). The USCF assigns national ratings and organizes national tournaments.
Variation. Long strings of projected moves.
White. Player with the white pieces. White moves first, a definite advantage for an experienced player.
WGM, WIM. Woman Grandmaster, Woman International Master.
Woman Grandmaster (Woman International Master). Gender-specific titles awarded by FIDE to women. The average performances and ratings are lower than the regular titles, and therefore the titles are controversial.
Women’s World Championship. World Championship in which participants are female. The first Women’s World Championship was a round-robin held in London in 1927 (won by Vera Menchik), in conjunction with the first Olympiad. From 1952 to 1998, a challenger was determined in a series of candidates’ tourna
ments and matches. The challenger would then play a head-to-head match against the title-holder. Since 2000, a three-week-long knockout format has been instated, under which three new Women’s World Champions have since been crowned (2000, Xie Jun; 2001, Zhu Chen; and 2004, Antoaneta Stefanova).
World Championship. Open to both men and women, though so far no woman has come close to the title. The World Championship is now in flux, because the classical format (where the two best players on Earth play a match of twenty or more games) has been rejected by FIDE in favor of the tournament knockout system. World number-one player Garry Kasparov and world number-three player Vladimir Kramnik have not participated in this FIDE format since 1998. Instead, the two played a twenty-game match in London in 2000, which Kramnik won.
Appendix — Games
Menchik - A Becker (Karlsbad, 1929)
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Ne4 6.Bd3 f5 7.Ne5 Qh4 8.0–0 Nd7 9.f4 Be7 10.Bd2 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Bc5 12.Bxe4 fxe4 13.Qb3 Qd8 14.Na4 Be7 15.Bb4 b6 16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.cxd5 exd5 18.Rac1 Bb7 19.Nc3 Qf7 20.Qb4 Rd8 21.Rfd1 Ba8 22.h3 Qe7 23.Qxe7+ Kxe7 24.b4 Rd7 25.Rd2 Rhd8 26.Ne2 Rc8 27.Rdc2 Rdc7 28.Nd4 g6 29.Nb5 Rd7 30.Kf2 h6 31.g4 a6 32.Nd4 Rdc7 33.f5 g5 34.Kg3 Bb7 35.h4 gxh4+ 36.Kxh4 Kf7 37.Kh5 a5 38.bxa5 bxa5 39.Nb5 Rd7 40.e6+, 1–0.
M Duchamp - Menchik (Paris, 1929)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Bf4 e6 7.e3 Bd6 8.Bxd6 Qxd6 9.Bd3 0–0 10.0–0 Rd8 11.Nb5 Qb8 12.Rc1 Bd7 13.Qe2 a6 14.Nc3 Qd6 15.e4 dxe4 16.Nxe4 Nxe4 17.Qxe4 g6 18.Qh4 Kg7 19.Ng5 h6 20.Qxh6+ Kxh6 21.Nxf7+ Kg7 22.Nxd6 Nb4 23.Be4 Bc6 24.Bxc6 bxc6 25.Rc4 Rxd6 26.Rxb4 a5 27.Rc4 Rad8 28.Re1 Rxd4 29.Rxc6 Rd2 30.g3 Rf8 31.f4 Rh8 32.h4 Rb8 33.b3 Rxa2 34.Rexe6 Rxb3 35.Rxg6+ Kf7 36.Rb6 Rd3 37.Rbd6 Rb3, ½–½.
Menchik - Capablanca (Hastings, 1930)
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 b6 3.e3 Bb7 4.Bd3 c5 5.0–0 Nc6 6.c3 e6 7.Ne5 d6 8.Nxc6 Bxc6 9.Qe2 Be7 10.Bb5 Qd7 11.Bxc6 Qxc6 12.Nd2 0–0 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.e4 Rad8 15.e5 Nd5 16.Nf3 Rd7 17.Rd1 Rfd8 18.Bd2 b5 19.Kf1 Nb6 20.Bf4 h6 21.Rxd7 Rxd7 22.Rd1 Rxd1+ 23.Qxd1 Qe4 24.Bg3 Qc4+ 25.Qe2 Qxe2+ 26.Kxe2 Na4 27.Kd2 Nxb2 28.Kc2 Nc4 29.Nd2 Nxd2 30.Kxd2 c4 31.Bf4 a6 32.Be3 Kf8 33.Bb6 Ke8 34.Ke3 Kd7 35.Kd4 Kc6 36.Ba7 f5 37.a4 g6 38.f4 h5 39.axb5+ Kxb5 40.g3 a5 41.Ke3 Bc5+ 42.Bxc5 Kxc5, 0–1.
Chess Bitch: Women in the Ultimate Intellectual Sport Page 28
