Chess & Music

Howdy! It’s the Chess Friends!

Chess (and writing) are not the only things we, The Chess Friends, have in common. All three of us are also musicians!

Does chess have anything in common with music? We’re so glad you asked! A big shoutout to Benji’s piano teacher for asking the question that inspired this blog!

In this blog post, we are going to uncover some common elements between chess and music and share updates on how our book release has been so far!

Vivi, as a start, can you highlight common themes between chess and music?

V: Sure! These are the ones that came to my mind:

·      Improvement with study and practice

·      Tempo

·      Dynamics

·      Pattern Recognition

·      Focus

·      Improvisation

·      Creativity

·      Fun!

Sarang, can you expand on some of that, like a few move(ment)s deeper?

S: Absolutely!

Study and practice. Both chess and music have a relatively low entry point. Give a little kid a piano or maracas and they can make some noise and be creative and have fun and with a little coaching, play some songs! Give a little kid some chess pieces and they can knock them around and learn the names and the squares and how the pieces move, and with a little support, play chess! A great thing about both chess and music is that there is always more to learn, even if you’re Magnus or Lang Lang! For a beginner, a little study and practice go a long way, and you can see rapid improvement! As you improve, you need to spend a lot more time and work much harder, but you will keep improving!

Tempo. In music, tempo refers to the pace of play, in beats/minute. Common ones include (slower to faster): largo, adagio, andante, moderato, allegro, vivace, and presto! Tempo matters in chess as well, not only on the clock, but in calculation, particularly in openings and endgames. In openings, you gain tempi by developing your pieces faster. In endgame calculations, if you are able to calculate tempo well, you can figure out if you’re going to promote your pawn faster than your opponent!

Dynamics. In music, dynamics are the intensity or loudness of sound. Examples include (softer to louder): pianissimo, piano, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, forte, and fortissimo! There are also words for changing dynamics like crescendo to get louder or diminuendo to get quieter. There are also more extreme dynamic markings like sforzando, meaning to attack a note! In chess, like in music, dynamics shift rapidly in a game. Examples include pawn breaks, material imbalances, initiative, piece activity, pawn structure, pawn islands, and structural weaknesses, to name a few. Gambit openings tend to be super dynamic, like the Scotch Gambit, Vienna Gambit, and King’s Gambit, where you sacrifice a pawn to have more active pieces. A great example of a sforzando in chess might be the Greek Gift sacrifice, Bxh7, which works in many specific situations like here:

Greek Gift Game Example

Fun. Chess and music are two of my greatest passions in life. I spend over four hours a day studying, playing, and practicing chess and music. If you count listening to music or thinking about chess, then that number goes up to sixteen hours a day! You probably know me as a chess guy, but I also had fun singing in several languages with many groups, played piano, organ, guitar, and drums with multiple bands, and even composed and conducted some pieces! A fun highlight was backing rapper Macklemore in a song!

Benji, can you wrap it up for us?

B: Yes, I am great at rapping up!

First, let me tell you two stories to highlight historic connections between music and chess. Many moons ago, in the year 1858, young American chess prodigy Paul Morphy was invited to Paris to watch the Opera, only on one condition. He had to play a chess game against two gentlemen, Karl II, Duke of Brunswick, and his friend, who got to discuss the moves with each other. The game was held right in the Opera house during a performance, which, if you ask me, doesn’t make sense. But Paul Morphy loved chess and music, so he didn’t mind. You might be thinking that’s not even fair! One player whose attention isn’t on the board against two players who get to discuss their moves? Even against these odds, Morphy defeated his opponents in a game now known as The Opera Game, one of the greatest chess games ever! Below is a GIF showing how Paul Morphy took the initiative and played a beautiful queen sacrifice to deliver mate with a rook and a bishop: the Opera Mate! Ta-Da!

Paul Morphy's Opera Game

Who knows, maybe the opera singing inspired this attacking game?

Here is another story. Also many moons ago, in the year 1914, a young Russian musical prodigy, Sergei Prokofiev, was having a great time in his career, when he heard that José Raúl Capablanca was in town hosting simuls. A chess enthusiast himself, Prokofiev couldn’t pass this opportunity to play the chess rising star. Prokofiev played three games against Capablanca. The first two he lost, but he won game # 3. (They don’t say “third time’s the charm” for nothing!) In that winning game, which the fun chess crowd quickly named “A-major upset,” Prokofiev, playing as black, kept resilient defense and posed problems, eventually winning with his knight standing.

Who knows, maybe at that moment he drew inspiration for the Dance of the Knights piece! Someday, I will play that music!

Ok, I’ll rap it up now:

The chess-music link lasts to this day.

Check this out: Chess is coming to Broadway! 

Before we share our book updates, here are a few knee-slappers that rock! Pick your tempo for the slappers!

Why did the cow quit chess?

Because it decided to become a moooo-sician!

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What opening do musicians like to play?

The Giuoco Piano!

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How can musicians stay so focused at the chessboard?

Because they are always tuned in!

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Why did the musician blunder a rook?

Because he got into time treble!

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Book Update!

Peshka can't stop singing! It’s been a little over a week since our book, Q&A Chess: Tournament Edition, has been au-au-auout! We are so excited that more and more people get to read it and share their thoughts with us! Thank you so much! The book even got a #1 New Release badge on Amazon in two of the children’s book categories! Let’s gooooo!!! We've also already received five 5-star reviews! Woohoo!

Once you get your copy and read it, if you're able to take the time to leave us a friendly review on Amazon, we'd really appreciate it!

Three Cheers, Fellow Future Master Chess Friends!

The Man Benji, The Myth Sarang, The Legend Vivi