1975: En route

Submitted by DrDave on Tue, 07/10/1997 - 20:57

Game Boniface,S - Potter,A [B06] Woodbury vs. Exeter, 1975

In the 1970's the Wanstead and Woodford Club used to up sets and travel down to Paignton for the annual DCCA Congress. On the way they would stop off at clubs and play a match. I believe Exeter were the hosts on several occasions. — SRB

[When soliciting games for this book, I didn't

particularly

seek defeats of Exeter players, but when an affable West Country organiser accompanied the enclosed game with a stack of splendid stories, I felt more indulgent. But my apologies are offered to Mr. Potter. — DR]

Sicilian, Grand Prix Attack

1.e4 g6 2.f4 Bg7 3.Nf3 d6 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.Nc3 0-0 6.d3 c5 7.h3 Nc6 8.Be3 a6 9.a3 b5 10.Ba2 Bd7 11.0-0 Rb8 12.Qd2 b4 13.axb4 Nxb4 14.Bc4 Qc7 15.f5 gxf5

+-----------------+

Perhaps this is asking for trouble. Black had no weaknesses so would probably do better to sit tight on the king's side and plan to hit back in the centre.

16.Bh6 Bxh6

Black seems determined to attract the White pieces into his king's position.

17.Qxh6 Qc8 18.Ng5 Be6 19.e5

At last White does something for himself, clearing e4.

19...dxe5 20.Nce4

Not really a sacrifice as it clearly can't be taken.

+-----------------+

20...Re8 21.Nxf6+ exf6 22.Nxh7 1-0

...and being unable to stop 23. Nxf6 Black resigned.

[Notes by Steve Boniface]

Chess Quotes

from: The Psychology of the Chess Player

— Reuben FINE (the man who put the 'anal' into analysis)

"Chess is a contest between two men in which there is considerable ego-involvement. In some way it certainly touches upon the conflicts surrounding aggression, homosexuality, masturbation and narcissism which become particularly prominent in the anal-phallic phases of development. From the standpoint of id psychology, Jones' observations can therefore be confirmed, even enlarged upon. Genetically, chess is more often than not taught to the boy by his father, or a father-substitute, and thus becomes a means of working out the son-father rivalry."

So now you know... It's easy to be dismissive of this, but if you don't think there's anything in it, and are not easily offended, then I invite you to look at a few statements quoted in Dominic Lawson's The Inner Game. The most obvious caution against a psychodynamic interpretation of chess is that Short's anal rape fantasies here seem anything but "unconscious" or "repressed"!