Is Chess Really a Game of War? . . .

                                                  Is Chess a Game or War? ©

                                                                               by

                                                                         DENVER

                                                               August 22, 2010, # 1

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• “What is absurd and monstrous about war is men who have no personal quarrel should be trained to murder one another in cold blood.”
•                                                             --Aldous Huxley--
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• Since the beginning of man, many wars have been fought. The weapons used have changed as technology improved them. Foot soldiers, archers, lancers, chariots, knights in shining armor, including castles and forts were part of war.
• I happen to be a foot soldier and expendable unit of an army at war. Nobody knows who will survive in battle. I am just a pawn.
• To the victor go the spoils of war. The battle hasn’t yet begun. The armies are poised and ready to fight. I happen to be on the front line ready for battle. All is quiet and there is an empty, desolate large space between the two armies, like a no man’s land. The power and size of the armies are about equal. Of course, I am on the good guy’s side. That is the feeling I have. I suppose that the men on the opposing army feel the same way.
• I say to the pawn on my right, “I’m so scared. I hope I live to see our victory. What about you, are you scared?”
•            “I’m so scared, I just might do it in my pants,” he says without looking at me.
• There is so much tension in the air, just waiting for the beginning of the end. We don’t speak to each other very much. We just wait, keeping our thoughts to ourselves, with our weapons at ready. All of us are hoping and praying for a good outcome. We keep wondering  how is it going to start. How will the first movement of troops be made? That will show the method of attack. How will the other army respond?
• I’m fearful and I don’t want to be one of the first casualties. I am a foot soldier, on the front line to attack or defend. I know that if I’m killed, that is acceptable to the top brass, they don’t even know I exist. If I wasn’t here, they would have some other soldier. Sure there will be support from behind when we move up. We are told, that when help is needed, it will be sent. I don’t think they will send it.  We will probably be on our own.
• To the pawn soldier on my right I say, "Oh, Oh. I hear the trumpets of attack are sounding,"
•                                "They have given the sound to attack," he said.
• The pawn to my right moves up with speed toward the front line, to be in position to engage the enemy. I hold my position and wait for my orders.
• He moved into the open space and I see him stop and hold his ground.  He is supposed to occupy the area and hold it. When we move up, we are to hold and contain the area. They allow no retreat to a pawn. Only forward  movement for us, unless we are in hand to hand combat.  The area he is holding is e4.
• The response from the other army was subtle, but a tactical movement that could be seen. The mounted Knight made a move toward us on the far right and we responded to the far left. The knight unit moved up very fast, passing on my left to attack from the flank and support the center force.
• The knight is now located on C3. But from there he covers my area and can go in any direction where he decides  to go.
• So much tension and fears are everyone’s mind. No comrade casualties yet. More movement of the attack came from behind me.
• I am glad they didn’t tell me to move forward yet. I know that when I go forward I can't retreat. Going backward for me is not in my vocabulary. I’m trained to go forward, attack, contain, threaten, capture, kill, and destroy the enemy. I hoped they did not kill me in turn.
• A flurry of movement is all around me as both armies were battling for ground and position.
• Now the battle has begun and some expendable units are captured and removed fron the field of battle. They haven’t ordered me to move yet.  
• Internally I say to myself, "I’m wanting to move, just waiting is killing me. I want to do something to win the battle. I have confidence on my abilities."
•                           Finally, "Denver move up and support the forward units from behind."
• Just as I'm moving up to take my position, I see an enemy Knight take out the foot soldier the pawn on my right. I feel so bad for him. I just met him and didn't have a chance to know him.
• I get ready and poised to strike at the proper moment.

                                                        "Oh no. It's the Black Knight."

I see the gear that is covering him. It looks so impenetrable and his steed is covered with mail. I  the attack on the Black Knight with my lance and with proper timing and a quick thrust, it enter the horse’s chest between the metal plates that are covering his body. The hose bolts to one side and crumbles to the ground.

As soon as he hits the ground I pull the lance out with a quick jerk. The black knight is pinned to the ground by the body of the horse. Immediately I thrust it into the Black Knight’s neck below the helmet. Can’t afford to let him live, he would kill me if he could have gotten up. It’s my first kill. It was him or me.

I'm glad to be alive and beat this mounted soldier. My brow is wet and I'm panting. It didn't take long, just second of fast movements. My heart is beating a mile a minute. I must catch my breath and get ready again.

He probably didn't want to die either. He was there because they told him to attack and he did his best.He probably was just as scared as I was. Once you fight to survive, all of that is forgotten for a moment until it is over.

After I made the kill, there was a moment of silence that took over after all the action and many thoughts passed through my mind.

                          "Thank god I’m alive. I survived, so far, I'm not even injured," I said.

I see more support is coming from behind me. "Denver, hold and don't move up any further yet." I do , always alert to the enemy nearby. 

"Oh no. The enemy sees how I have penetrated their area and are aware of my location. They are focusing on me. I’m pinned down. Hope that I can survive. I see more supporting forces coming to my aid from behind and from the far side. I can’t believe it. They are actually covering me. I’m being helped. I thought they didn't care about me. Much fighting is occurring all around me. They remove many fallen warriors from the field of battle from both sides.

                         I’m still alive. I can’t believe it. It must be my lucky day.

Again I’m ordered to move up and take my objective. We are moving as a unit, making penetration moves and many more fall from both sides. Cries of pain and death are all around me.

What happened? I don’t see any more attacks or confrontations near me. There is a lull in the fighting. I can see fighting going on to my far right flank and the enemy is defending fiercely. It looks like the commander is making the right tactical and attacking decisions. There is confidence in the air among our troops.

"Why can’t we stop and just get along? I’m a good man. I’m an honest man. I’m a nice man. I should be somewhere else."

All is quiet and both armies are regrouping for their next assaults, maybe. Only troop positional movements are being made.

I clean my lance and sword. I make sure I have ample sharp arrows for the bow I picked up on the field.I’m so tired. Can't stay awake. Maybe just a few minutes of shut eye. I fell a sleep, very soundly.

                                             Hey go way. you're in the wrong game!

                                            "Hey Denver. Wake up! we're being attacked."

 Another enemy foot soldier came from the left side of me. I jumped up, grabbed my sword and poised to defend. When our eyes made contact, I knew what he felt inside was just as I felt. I knew I had to fight for my life and kill him, to live. We clashed with swords in hand. I gave no quarter and neither did he.

Lucky for me he tripped and fell backwards during the fight and I thrust my sword to into his side. I saw his eyes looking at me but he did not utter a sound. He just opened his mouth as if to say something with his last breath. I pulled the sword out from his side with a twist and with a rotation of the handle in my hand I thrust it downward into his chest again.

I had a feeling of a loss though I didn't know the man. We had nothing against each other. It was just destiny. Exhausted I climbed up the crest, stood and saw that I was  at the final target of my attack. I had been victorious so far.

Since I reached the eight rank they promoted me to a Queen immediately.

The King gave me an order for another target to attack. Now with supporting men behind me I moved to the right flank attacking the fort of the enemy.

Without thought of my well being and for the good of our army I attacked their position. I sacrificed myself breaking up the defender of the opposing King.

I succumbed to several wounds and was removed from the battlefield. Their King gave up and laid down his arms after several more attacks. Our army won the battle. 

                                          I died. I had no mother or father to cry for me.

                                                        Nobody wept for me . . . 

                                                         Nobody misses me . . . 

I had no one, only my comrades that fought by my side . . . I was an expendable part of this army, but a very important part.

So goes the wars. Sometimes there are many deaths, sometimes only a few. After the end, it doesn't matter who survived and who died, all the armies will be put together again for the next time.

Foot soldiers like me are always on the front line. I’m just a pawn in this game. Sometimes I live. Some times I die right away. Sometimes I don’t take any part during the whole war. Sometimes I get promoted to a higher rank and I sacrifice myself and become the hero.

Look for me on the front lines.

                                                     Come, reach out and touch me. 

                                                         I’m a lowly CHESS pawn.

                                                           My name is DENVER.

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I find chess is most definitely a form of Art, and that has not a thing TO DO WITH the book ‘the art of war’, for war clearly hasn’t anything to do WITH Art. 

Several years ago, on a different account than this I stopped playing white and hospitably always would give my opponent the first move the game. When I after two years began again to play white I decided to make my own tactic and I am very glad that I did. I’ve won some fun games because that!

I believe it is a game of battles between armies as my piece shows . . .

it was derived from ancient times . . .

hattles meaning battles?

lol oh...... so it was battles, not hattles.. got it

That sword can be better used after melting down and used for weights for fishing. “,

Violence is pathetic, and war has never, nor ever will make ANY sense .

.....but, that doesn’t mean I don’t support those fighting to protect their land.

I read heard about Chess as game of war many times. What's the role of the Queen? That piece should be renamed General. A pawn or soldier can be promoted to General. Promoted to a Queen? Doesn't make logical sense.

Fishing for what they just throw them back . . .

Besides that knight fell of his horse that's why he has the sword in hand . . .

It makes good sense now days men are turning into women . . .

Nice story OP.

     Curious though, Is that knight wearing flip-flops? 

The knight is a poor knight . . .

As soon as he kills a wealthy knight he will take his meta! Boots . . .

Hope it's soon . . .

it is considerd to be a fight, a war eventually

Click here https://www.chess.com/club/the-royal-chess-club

I think it is a game of skill and concentration

of course it's a game of war

Well it is a war and you need skill and concentration to win the war

Also patience you need

You mean powerful pieces?

A PAWN is expendable yet is powerful . . .

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