dinsdag 12 juli 2011

Love: Distraction in Chess

Girls (and especially attractive girls) have ruined many games of male chess players. In one of his most famous stories GM Gufeld tells about a game that could have been the best game of his life: "I was playing for the Ukrainian team in the Soviet Junior Team Championships. I was also... in love. Her name was Bellochka... She ignored me and refused all my offers to help her in chess..." Then in his next game Gufeld brilliantly sacrificed a Rook. That's how Gufeld himself describes the shocking end of the game: "It was really fantastic and I felt inspired by my love for Bellochka. I was filled with emotion. By now, many of the tournament participants had rushed to my table to see the combination. I was hoping to see Bellochka but she did not come. She remained in her seat playing for the Russian team. I ran over to her table and with my eyes and heart I said to her, “See my combination.This sacrifice that I have made– it’s for you.” Suddenly she looked up and pierced me with her beautiful big blue eyes. Surely she knew that I was not interested in her game. And I even thought that she had heard what my heart had said to her and maybe, just maybe, she understood my feelings. It was as if time stood still in that moment when we gazed into each other’s eyes. Her eyes then turned away from me as she looked back at her game. She then quickly made her move and . . . blundered her Queen !! It was a tragedy and immediately she resigned her game. A steady stream of tears began to flow from those beautiful blue eyes. I was stunned by her grief and blamed myself for what had befallen her. But being a great fan of Indian movies, I knew what had to be done– I had to share in her tragedy, just like the hero! But I couldn't resign my game, as I was playing for my team. So I offered my opponent a draw, which he quickly accepted. The spectators were shocked by the draw, but they didn't understand the love I had for Bellochka."

A fascinating story and also a good example of how two chess players ruined their games by being distracted!

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