One hears the chanting voice from all sides in this, our practical, our all too practical, world. One hears it in the steady stream of speculation, and among the clash and fury of machines. And one hears it amidst the rattling of dice and the rustling of cards of innumerable gambling games, the ones to which our practical, modern man sacrifices his free time for his amusement.
Our nineteenth century, together with its scientific and mechanical marvels, could well pride itself for its invention of endless games of chance, with their well-known and numerous names. The erudite reader knows them all too well to name then once again here.
But such an abundance of games which have no lasting importance, or rather have only the importance of a prayer-like devotion to the god Mammon, are an abundance only in terms of an occasional amusement. And often they are no amusement at all.
Accordingly, where games of chance gain more and more adherents, and where, for example at Monaco, the Empire of Roulette rules supreme, chess as a pastime loses its place as King of Games. There the world wants games that are simple and thoughtless, ones based merely on chance, and fueled by the tempting possibility of instant wealth.
Readers should not suppose we begin a diatribe against gambling, or that, pedantic like, we seek to determine the rules of taste, or in general to prove the tastelessness of games of chance. Heaven's no! Such an attempt would be pointless. All that is meant to be suggested by the above is that today chess, a difficult and serious game requiring years of practice and study, runs antithetical to its numerous and frankly hideous rivals: games of chance played for money.
Chess, as it is neither simple, thoughtless, nor determined by chance, does not hold a place of high value among today's so-called games, and so hardly is recognized for what it truly is, which is the most noble and profound of all pastimes.
The majority has no appetite for making life more difficult through calculating difficult moves, or looking for pleasure in complex positions, or in mastering the art of directing a game while developing fantasy, imagination, memory, and the skill of deep analysis. The person who finds pleasure in a game of chess, who sees amusement in finding the best moves, but not in playing cards, is considered a crank, or worse.
And so chess is not loved by many today, and, at least in Russia, loses many of its adherents, which only furthers exacerbates the decline of the games theory. The less people know of the game, the less profound the games played. The lower the quality of play, the lower the estimates of the games worth in the mind of many. And thus chess loses its standing in an ever downward spiral.
Through the editing of a chess periodical we intend, for those who wish to learn chess well, to provide a superior way to learn the basic rules of the game and its theory. We will offer the games of the strongest Russian and foreign players for the benefit of our readers. The position of chess among other games should not be a matter of jealousy. By editing a journal dedicated to chess development, we are hardly advocating chess as a "science" for which it is worth abandoning all other occupations. It would be a pity if we were so misunderstood.
We recall the accusation made by the journal "Iskra" against "Shakhmatny Listok," when the latter was
published as a supplement to "Russkoye Slovo":
"You," wrote the critic from "Iskra" to the editor of "Shakhmatny Listok,"
"by the issuance of your journal in this edition, create a false impression that will lead some to think chess
research is an activity worthy of sacrifice.
Perhaps you will be successful in this respect, and you will induce some simple-minded people to believe chess is no less than a real science, one to which they may usefully devote their lives."
We do not look at chess as a "science" that others should give up their careers for and devote all their mental and physical powers, as the critic of "Iskra" derided, to the contemplation of gambits accepted or declined. We do not seek to generate such interest in the game, or to seduce others from their occupations. We wish only, by increasing the general interest in chess, to provide a more pleasant and beneficial amusement, which can itself provide satisfaction for others, and one separate from the devotees of Mammon and their games of chance.
In this respect we indeed wish to induce in others a love of chess as the finest and most useful of games, for chess develops the habits of analysis and calculation, strengthens the memory, and develops the imagination. We particularly wish to point out that pleasure in the game derives largely from the level of play achieved, which in turn depends in large measure on one's ability to play the game. As a player increases in skill, as greater discernment and thought are developed, as more complex combinations are visualized, so the attraction of the game for the player increases. The variety of pieces, their various moves, and their sheer number, all make play quite complex. This also explains the essentially infinite number of games that can be played. It is impossible to analyze every position that may appear in a game, but the chess openings are numerically limited, making the game more uniform, and thus permitting analysis of their variations. Hence, for those who truly wish to excel at chess, a knowledge of the openings, at least those most commonly used, is needed. Knowledge of the openings can, indeed, at times allow a less talented player to defeat his stronger opponent. Quite often a single slip in the opening can lead to defeat against a player versed in theory, and equipped to exploit it.
Equally important as a knowledge of the openings is a knowledge of the interrelations of the pieces, the comparison of their strength, and the systematic analysis of their relative strength. Such knowledge is especially important in the ending, where at times one piece must fight against two or three, for instance two knights or two bishops against Queen, rook and bishop against, rook, and so on. In the ending a knowledge of the relative strength of the pieces, and where even minor variations can mean the difference between victory or defeat, gives the player a huge advantage. A simple example would be King and pawn versus lone King, where particular positions are known to be easily won, but which through incorrect handling can rapidly be reduced to merely a draw.
Such matters will lead us to publish in our journal chess instruction, thus allowing readers of "Shakhmatny Listok" to obtain a relatively complete manual for the games play. Our journal will also publish the finest games, the most varied chess problems, and the most interesting biographies, stories, essays and anecdotes from the lives of the chess players, as well as original and translated articles on the game of chess and reviews of the most recent events in the chess world. Our journal will allow readers to become more familiar with chess, as well as its growing development in Russia and abroad.
For some reason "Shakhmatny Listok" was once edited in Russia as a supplement to "Russkoye Slovo." It ran for five years, and then was abandoned along with that paper. Since then no other chess magazine has existed, and lovers of the game have had to obtain brief information about the game from a small column in "Vsyemirnaya Illustratya," thanks only to the efforts of Ilya Stepanovich Shoumov, the well-known chess amateur and excellent player, who shouldered those editorial duties. I.S. Shoumov has expressed his readiness to contribute to our journal, and other contributors will include H.J. Petrovsky, E.C. Schiffers and others. "Shakhmatny Listok" will be issued once a month in a volume of two or three folios. We shall use all our resources to make our journal complete, varied, and interesting. "Shakhmatny Listok," however,will be interesting for every player only when Russian chess players help us by sending game scores, problems, and comments. We believe that in many centers in Russia, in Moscow, Kazan, Odessa and others, can be discovered strong players whose quite interesting games are currently going unnoticed.
Therefore we strongly urge Russian chess players to provide the editors with their material. Answers to questions and comments will be printed in a "Correspondence" column.
Mikhail Tchigorin