The Immortal Game

March 30 [2013]

Location: The Queen Alice Chess Club

"War is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale." - Von Clausewitz

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It was a simple stone cottage at the end of a quiet lane. Sunlight filtered through the beech and sugar maple trees lining the path. A cool breeze from the nearby bay rustled the leaves. Off in the distance tall ships were moored.

 

The wooden floor boards protested as I entered the cottage. The cheerful fire was more inviting.

Game boards were situated in the two rooms on the ground floor. Chess problems were posted on the wall. The art on display spoke to the long, honoured tradition of the game.

The Alliance Mental Mapping Protocol involved the visualizing objects in three dimensional space coupled with the running of strategic simulations. It had a range of applications, both in planning and in the field. For the development of this technique, the study of chess was a useful starting point.

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Anatol Rapoport, in his introductory essay to the classic “On War” by Carl Von Clausewitz, details three philosophies of war: the eschatological, the cataclysmic, and the political. While not an exhaustive framework, these broad categories make a fine framework for the purpose of discussion.

In the eschatological view, war is the critical chapter in history’s narrative. It is the storm that will sweep the world clean and will unite all under one ideology or leadership. Crusades, holy wars, and class wars all fall under this category.  A more recent expression of this philosophy would be the Jade Revolution - in particular the writings of Jasmine Moonshade, also known as the Adherent.

The cataclysmic view can seem very ethnocentric in nature, where war is seen as a catastrophe that happens to one’s people. It is an evil that visits.  Protect and survive.

It is a mistake to say it is a passive approach, however.  An attitude that arises from this philosophy can be typified by the phrase, “Others may start the war. We will finish it.”  Proud and defiant, determined to meet any threat real or perceived, the desert born people of the planet Araxes publicly demonstrate this approach.

The third philosophy of war is political.  It can best be defined by Clausewitz himself who said war is “a true political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse carried on with other means.”

The UAP and the Orion Confederation are good examples of political entities that follow this philosophy. For such as these, war is rational and deliberate, waged for the fulfillment of national interest.  War is a game of strategy.  It is a game of chess.

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I settled in front of a game board in the inner room of the cottage. I choose a seat that, should I open my eyes, would provide me with a view of the approaching path through two windows. A slight turn of my head gave me a clear line of sight to the only door.  

The floor boards would alert me if anyone entered.

 I closed my eyes.

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My mind is the empty sky.

My thoughts are as the passing clouds. I do not grasp them. I do not push them away.

I visualize a grid, eight squares by eight squares. It resolves into a board of brown and beige alternating squares. I populate the top two and bottom two rows with symbols.

I rotate the board in 3D space. The symbols become chess pieces.

I am now playing white.

The white pawn moves two spaces forward to the critical center of the board.

The opposite black pawn responds gliding forward to meet the advance.

A second white pawn moves forward and comes to rest beside the first pawn. King's Gambit offered.

The black pawn slides forward on the diagonal capturing the second white pawn. The captured pawn is removed from the board. King's Gambit accepted.

The white bishop begins to move...

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Move by move, I visualized a game from the historical record. This one was my favorite so far.

June 21, 1851 in London, England. It was an informal game played during a break at the international tournament. Anderssen, playing white, produced a checkmate despite sacrificing a bishop, two rooks and his queen. His opponent, Kieseritzky, had lost only three pawns.

The game was a fine example of rapid development and attack. As the game progressed, White gained and consolidated control of critical areas of the board. White sacrificed major pieces but in doing so diverted and blocked Black. Black gained material yet lost development and ultimately the game.

I wondered how these lessons might be applied to a combat situation. I selected a historical example. Could the results have been different?

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My mind is the empty sky.

My thoughts are as the passing clouds. I do not grasp them. I do not push them away.

I visualize a grid, eight squares by eight squares. It resolves into a map of Serenity Valley, Hera.

I populate the map with insignia. I rotate the map in 3D space.

The green shapes become trees. The contour lines become hills and slopes. The insignia become infantry units and air-tank of the 57th Overlanders, Independent.

I am now playing brown.