Chess and Basketball - A Game of Kings
by Travis Patay
"This is a game of Kings. It is ballet of the brain, choreographed on a wooden slab."
Chess and Basketball can be very aesthetic to the astute eye when played well. Both chess and basketball are often played on a wooden slab. However, this is not where the similarities end. Let's begin to explore the connection between the two very popular games.
Basketball is the quintessential team game. This is why I can so easily compare it to chess. The sum of the players on a basketball team can be greater than if you were to add the players' "values" individually. The old adage is that 1+1 may be >2. In basketball sense that means 1+1+1+1+1 may be >5. Basketball team fit and chemistry are critical to success at the NBA level.
In chess, you can have one side with a central knight on a strong outpost conducting an attack on the king after having made a sacrifice and being "down" in material count. Meanwhile, the other side can have a rook, which is normally 2 "units" stronger than a knight sitting in the corner, doing very little for the side under attack. That is a perfect example of superior thinking outweighing superior force, exemplified even as far back as the first wars recorded.
This can be found on the basketball court as well. The typical scenario is when a well-coordinated team of players defeats a team with two or even three all-stars. A perfect example is the 2004 Detroit Pistons defeating the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals and, more recently, the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks defeating the Big Three Miami Heat.
The position in basketball, most like that of a chess player, is the distributor, i.e., the point guard. Like the point guard, the chess player relies heavily on pattern recognition. "Seeing" the play and making the correct decision before the action fully develops is something the master chess player and the skilled point guard share. The two opposing head coaches employ different player line-ups throughout the game for the various game theory situations that arise. This is similar to two chess masters opting for different offensive and defensive systems across the span of games for a chess match. As time passes, the two masters know more about their opponent - just like in a playoff series.
There is depth and beauty in both chess and basketball. In chess, one side can choose to make an imbalance of material or structure and then try to outplay their opponent. One example of an imbalance in chess is trading a bishop for a knight, which may or may not involve the doubling (potential weakening) of your opponent's pawns. Another example is sacrificing some material to create more complex imbalances, such as trading a rook for a knight and pawn (Which would be a sacrifice of 5 units in material for 4 units).
The pick and roll (also called screen and roll or shortened to screen roll, any of which may be hyphenated) in basketball is an offensive play in which a player sets a screen (pick) for a teammate handling the ball and then slips behind the defender (rolls) to accept a pass. The pick and roll in basketball forces an imbalance on the hardwood (potentially leading to a 4-player on 3-player mismatch), whereupon the offense tries to take advantage of the new schematics.
Chess is a game where your critical thinking is constantly challenged, while team play is forever emphasized. Basketball is more similar to chess than most people would realize. Aim to achieve harmony on either hardwood and watch your team play translate to victory after victory after victory.
Tackling Football and Chess
by Travis Patay
Millions of Americans watch NFL games each week. In years past, the occasional chess reference mentioned by a sportscaster always caught my attention. However, last season, I heard statements along the lines of "I love the chess match going on right now between Tom Brady and the Jets Defense!" much more frequently. Not just during games, either, but also in pre-game shows and post-game wrap-ups.
I've lost count of how many ESPN commentators have mentioned chess during broadcasts in the context of football. Since noticing this emerging pattern, I have been tackling the following question with fervor: How similar is our nation's new favorite pastime to the royal game of chess?
One term that football and chess have in common is “blitz.” Blitz is a chess term that describes a fast time control chess game. For example, a chess game where each side has only 5 minutes to complete all their moves would be classified as a blitz game. In football, a blitz is a team defensive maneuver in which one or more linebackers or defensive backs are sent across the line to the offensive side to try to tackle the quarterback or disrupt his pass attempt. The name of the play is taken from “Blitzkrieg”, the German strategy of "Lightning War" during World War II. A fast chess game with pieces flying every which way can be likened to a blitzing football defense with athletes who are rushing to sack the opposing quarterback.
Quite often a blitz in football involves a sacrifice. Pass coverage down the field is sacrificed for a majority of force in the trenches with extra pressure on the opposing quarterback. A linebacker, safety, or cornerback who normally drops back in defense to cover a potential pass is instead sent across the line of scrimmage towards the quarterback. This means that there are less defensive players to cover the wide receivers, tight end/s, and running backs down the field. Sacrifices are a major part of winning attacking chess. The attacker usually allows a mismatch of chess pieces in one side of the board or gives up part of his team in exchange for a predominance of force around the opposing King.
There are three phases to a chess game: the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame. The opening is where the pawns and pieces are brought into the action to fight for the center of the chessboard. The king is generally brought to safety by castling. The middlegame is where each side develops an appropriate plan of attack and then puts it into action. Finally, the endgame is where there are fewer chessmen on the board and every move has even greater importance. The goal in the endgame is usually to promote a pawn into a queen. Then your aim is to win the game by checkmating the rival king.
The offensive and defensive systems that NFL teams employ every weekend can be very easily compared to popular chess opening systems such as the Ruy Lopez and the Sicilian Defense. Both have set schematics for each formation and a plan of attack for once the play fully develops. Football systems and chess opening systems get adjusted over time and enhanced by intelligent and interested minds.
In chess middlegames a major factor in forming an appropriate game plan is the pawn structure. Pawns as you may already know are the "little guys" in chess, the foot soldiers. They do the grunt work, much like blockers in football. The way the pawns are arranged is important because this determines who controls the key squares. It suggests a natural way to position your pieces so they can be maximized in the specific pawn structure. A running back when noticing how the blockers are arranged can potentially achieve a substantial yard gain with a potent rushing attempt. Coordinate and maximize your pieces in chess and you should at least have a very good position, if not an outright winning attack.
I like to compare a chess middlegame to the point where a football play has started and begins to fully develop. In one play, the running back is arriving at the point of entry to blast through an opening. While in another play, the quarterback has pass protection and notices the wide receiver angling past his defender down the field. Now there may be some choices as far as a plan of attack goes. The running back may charge ahead or instead cut back to the outside if he notices a defender about to fill the gap. The quarterback may throw directly to the main wide receiver, pump fake and throw to another receiver, or throw the ball to the side for a screen. Once each player determines the layout of the field (pawn structure) and who controls the key areas, he makes the important decision about where and how to proceed.
At the end of a chess game there typically are fewer pieces on the board. There's significantly less force, so the king becomes a fighting piece, as it is no longer in harm's way. The king often has the goal of guiding a pawn to the other side of the board. Upon reaching the last rank it can turn into the strongest piece, a queen. When teaching chess I've often compared this moment to a football player blocking for the pawn. The king is helping the pawn to “score a touchdown” by reaching the last rank. That football based analogy usually captures a new student's interest. Promoting a pawn into a queen in the endgame doesn't mean instant victory, unless that move is also checkmate. However, it should generally give you very strong winning chances.
A football situation comparable to a chess endgame would be a final drive scenario. The offense must score points to win the game, while the defense must stop them. Each play gains significance as progress is made on the final drive. The players jockey for field position as every yard matters. In chess endgames, each decision gains significance as fewer pieces are on the board. There is also an increased chance for promoting a lowly pawn into a powerful queen. This is where the above king and pawn analogy makes the most sense to me. It's the end of the game, and everything is on the line. As long as you can maneuver to the edge of the board, guiding your pawn to the last rank (endzone), then you can be on your way to winning the game.
Football, like chess, is obviously a strategy game. Both games employ various tactics and can be likened to simulated warfare. Football and chess are so similar that I think it would benefit football players, especially quarterbacks, to become proficient at chess. Chess is thrilling and dynamic while football shares much of the mystery and structural beauty of the world's greatest board game.
Chess: Is it Art, Sport, or Science?
by Travis Patay
Bobby Fischer got closer to chess than anybody before or after him, and he found something at the center, at the heart of chess. He found beauty, harmony, and art. To the creative mind, a chess board is like a canvas where the pieces are an instrument for expression.
Chess is art because the relationship between the pieces produces a harmony that can be likened to a beautiful symphony or painting. It is a sport because it is a competition that is not purely mental but physical, emotional, and psychological as well. It is also science because it can be studied and theorized, and truths can be discerned from it.
A beautiful masterpiece of a chess game, with a logical start to finish, is a work of art in the eyes of chess enthusiasts. There is an intellectual pleasure attained from playing over a masterpiece and an aesthetic quality to the astute chess player’s eye.
Vassily Smyslov, the seventh World Champion of Chess, was not one-dimensional. Smyslov’s second passion was music; he was an aspiring opera singer in his youth. He found many correlations between chess and music. Smyslov even described the inter-relationship and communication between the pieces as harmonic. He found that what ties the pieces together into harmony is pure logic.
There are different forms of chess, just like there are different forms of basketball. A casual one-on-one game between friends where the outcome does not matter can hardly be described as serious competition. Take the example of a chess game played between two novices for fun, and you can see the similarities. For something to be defined as a “sport,” there must be a competitive and physical element.
Serious chess games, be it in prize tournaments, college chess matches, or organized chess leagues, are quite intense. They definitely measure up to the “competitive” element of a sport.
Studies have also proven that one burns almost as many calories playing a serious game of chess as one does while playing a “real sport” such as basketball, baseball, or football. The breathing rates of players can triple during competition while blood pressure also elevates to incredible highs. Despite not moving much, players also experience muscle contractions before, during, and after major tournaments. Calories are a measure of energy in nutrition and exercise. A lot of energy is being expended while one plays serious chess. This proves that chess is very much physical and, therefore, a sport.
What physical skill is required to move pieces? The real skill lies in shooting a basketball, just like playing chess well (or making good moves). There is a tangible skill involved, and that is why chess is often described as a game where “it’s easy to learn but difficult to master.”
Chess is a game with many layers. It can be examined, and theorems are formulated about what is the best play in certain types of positions. Certain truths can be found in chess; therefore, chess is a science.
What is Chess? Is it art, sport, or science? This is a difficult riddle to solve. The answer has been debated for decades if not centuries.
Chess is a complex game that cannot be easily categorized. Therefore, it must be a combination of all three: Art, Sport, and Science.