The Untold Secrets of Chess Masters Gone Dark
Does chess destroy your mind? Without a doubt when faced with this question, one probably thinks of renowned names such as Bobby Fischer or Mikhail Tal. Nevertheless, upon further researching this question I ended up reaching far graver revelations than expected. And so without further ado, I present to you, The Untold Secrets of Chess Masters Gone Dark!
Table of Contents
Alexander Aleksandrovich Alekhine
Alexander Aleksandrovich Alekhine, a prominent figure in the world of chess, was born on October 31st, 1892, in Moscow, Russia, and passed away on March 24, 1946. Widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players of all time, Alekhine's reign lasted for an astonishing 17 years. Even at a young age, Alekhine dominated largely thanks to his tactical prowess and ability to get out of even some of the more complicated chess situations throughout his career. By the mere age of 12, Alekhine was already able to play chess blindfolded and over time became known as one of Russia’s greatest players. Finally, in 1927, he entered his first reign of dominance as a chess master upon beating Capablanca only to lose to Euwe in 1935. However, in a 1937 rematch, he won against Euwe receiving the title of World Chess Champion once more. How, then, did he transition from being an incredible chess player to being subjected to suspicions of suicide or even a plotted murder? Well on March 24th of 1946, Alekhine mysteriously passed away.
The photo above was taken after Alekhine was found dead in his room.
Although there have been several conspiracy theories surrounding his death, extensive investigations have largely pointed to the conclusion that he passed away due to choking on a three-inch-long piece of unchewed meat. Whether he was a victim of a planned assassination or simply lost his mind taking his life in the process it is unknown to this day. Either way, I had one goal in mind while completing this investigation. While what caused his death is still unknown, I wanted to know if chess had driven the incredible chess player insane. So, I began by searching through the games played leading up to his death.
What, I found instead was unsurprisingly a fact. Alekhine had not lost his mind. Despite the multiple blunders as shown by the computer analysis, Alekhine still played solidly for his last game ever. With that we can conclude that the first of these 5 players' stories ends with not much doubt that chess did not destroy Alekhine.
Thumbnail from Kingcrusher's video, "The Immortal Zugzwang Game."
Aron Nimzowitsch, born in Riga, Latvia on November 7th, 1886, and passing away on March 16, 1935, was a highly influential figure in the world of chess. His writings, particularly his educational chess book, My System, had a lasting impact that extended beyond his lifetime and influenced future masters such as Tigran Petrosian, among others. Although originally studying philosophy, Nimizowitsch would end up revamping his studies to focus on his professional chess career.
Funnily enough, Nimzowitsch would end up performing better against Alekhine than Capablanca who ended up losing to Alekhine multiple times throughout his career. Although never truly reaching the peak of the chess world of being called the World Chess Champion, he would end up being known as the third-best chess player from 1927 to 1931 right behind chess behemoths Capablanca and Alekhine.
His success would eventually lead to him having his own opening, named after him, The Nimzowitsch Defense. He would even end up writing other educational chess books (in addition to My System) such as The Practice of My System, The Blockade, and Chess Praxis.
A picture presumably of Nimzowitsch playing a simulation against others. However further details are unclear.
However, throughout the later years of his life, it became unclear what went on through the master's life. Some even went as far as suggesting that Nimzowitsch's eccentric behavior was merely a fabrication designed to drive those around him to madness. Adding to the peculiarity, there was an incident where he erupted in anger during a chess game, exclaiming, "Why must I lose to this idiot?" (Bleecker Street Media). He would even go as far as to complain about an invisible fly hovering above his head to evade military duty, although his true motives for such actions still remain unclear. So, with this in mind, I began looking through the last game he played.
Unsuprisingly, Nimzowitsch's incredible prowess and play was still high and well even throughout his later games. Although this did not come as much of a surprise despite his interesting remarks, it was still interesting to find that Nimzowitsch had indeed not lost his mind thanks to chess.
Thumbnail from "Learning Legends" (The Chess World).
Wilhelm Steinitz, a renowned chess player, was born on May 14th, 1836, in Riga, Latvia, and passed away on August 12, 1900. Steinitz's journey in the world of chess began at the age of 12, but he didn't enter the professional arena until his twenties. Despite his late start, he quickly gained recognition by defeating English masters and emerging victorious in a match against Adolf Anderssen in 1866, with a score of 8-6. Earlier on Steinitz was well known for his aggressive tactics and romantic sacrifices however, as the years passed following his victory for the title of First World Chess Champion in 1886 against Zukertort, his style of play developed into far more positional ideas and likewise tactics.
Over time Steinitz would become far more enveloped in his works as a chess journalist most notably for his writings in The Field. His commentaries on other chess players would spark heated debates most notably with players like Johannes Zukertort. Eventually, despite Steinitz’s plans for retirement he would end up playing Emanuel Lasker and in an unexpected defeat lose to him causing an increased spree of tournaments for Steinitiz.
A depiction of Steinitz playing a tournament in an unknown location.
In a later rematch with Lasker around late 1896 to early 1897 he would end up playing to yet again another loss causing a mental breakdown and confinement. There in his confinement period of 40 days he would play chess against inmates eventually even making claims that he was playing chess games with God.
From performing insanely well in chess matches as demonstrated in the video above to passing away in a mental asylum it was never quite clear why Steinitz lost his mind. However, it is safe to say the stress of playing chess and losing against Lasker affected his mental health in the long run arguably causing him to fall into the state he fell into.
Paul Morphy was born on June 22, 1837, in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He was a prodigious talent in chess, gaining recognition as one of the world's top players by the age of 20. In 1858, Morphy embarked on a journey to Europe, where he engaged in numerous matches against renowned European masters, including Adolf Anderssen, Henry Bird, Daniel Harrwiz, and Augustus Mongredien.
Despite his remarkable success in chess, Morphy gradually lost interest in the game and decided to pursue a career in law. However, even after attaining the necessary education for law, he found that he could not receive any clients due to his lack of servitude in the army. As a result, many people would end up coming to his law practice to simply play chess with him ultimately defeating the whole purpose of Morphy’s choice to exit the chess world in the first place. Below is one of Morphy's most famous puzzles!
Oddly enough, it was also around this time that Morphy was oftentimes reported for doing odd things such as wandering the streets and conversing with people who were not there. Legend even says that he died in his bathtub surrounded by a circle of women’s shoes. As to what exactly could have caused the once-great chess player to fall into the state he fell into remains unknown. However, we can assume it was likely due to the situation he was living in. Through a combination of both boredom of chess and the U.S. Civil War, it is safe to assume that Morphy’s loss of mental stability was a result.
José Raúl Capablanca was born in Havana, Cuba on November 19th, 1888, and passed away on March 8th, 1942. Capablanca began his chess journey at the young age of 4 and by the age of 13 had already defeated the Cuban Champion, Juan Corzo. In 1905, Capablanca set his sights on attending Columbia University in the United States. However, his passion for chess ultimately led him to abandon his academic pursuits and fully commit to his chess career. Capablanca's exceptional strategic vision, mastery of endgame techniques, and lightning-fast playing style allowed him to become the first World Chess Champion to achieve victory without a single loss.
Even after losing the title of World Chess Champion, Capablanca would continue to dominate in the chess world. Later on, Capablanca would write the book, Chess Fundamentals considered by many as one of the greatest chess books ever created.
A simulation with 30+ players is shown above completed by Capablanca.
In other words, Capablanca was a chess genius as it came far too easy for him. Over time Capablanca would become known for having one of the biggest egos in the chess world. On top of that, he grew a fondness for spending his money on poker, cigars, gourmet meals, and flirting with ladies. Simply put, he was a chess player and a player at the same time if you know what I mean 😏. In the end, though Capablanca would die analyzing a game in New York when his brain suddenly burst. Funnily enough at the same time he was wearing an expensive suit and other expensive clothes at the time of the incident. So was it chess that led to Capablanca’s crazy spending and at times poor life choices? I don’t think so. Although chess was a factor in leading to Capablanca’s fame and money, it ultimately remained in his hand as to what he would do with his life.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
So what was the answer to the grand question of, Does chess destroy your mind? The answer is a bit complicated. Yes, chess in some cases has caused some to lose their minds. However, throughout my research, I truly believe that the cause of the craze of these players was a combination of poor choices and primarily political pressure. Ultimately, this question remains unanswered and so once more I return the question to the community to once and for all find the answer.
Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoyed this blog! It took a long while to prepare so I hope you enjoyed it! This was prepared for my submission for BlogChamps against @ChessUnlockedOfficial so hopefully, I can make it to the next round! Bye and see you next time - @Xhive24
