QUESTION: How and why was Napoleon Bonaparte and his half-million man army defeated by the Russians?

One hundred years before the Grand Armée of Napoleon Bonaparte initiated its fateful campaign against Czar Alexander of Russia; another Czar—Peter the Great—defeated an advancing Swedish Army with what is known as the scorched earth policy. Although this strategy is hardly original to Russia, the immense size of the country coupled with the cold hell of its winters, makes it the logical choice to vanquish aggressors.

The scorched earth policy can be defined as “destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while withdrawing from an area.” It is a gambit that trades space for time. Not only is the advancing foe unable to reap the fruit of its spoils, logistically it becomes much harder to resupply itself as the distance from home grows longer.

A student of war, since the age of nine, these facts were not lost on Napoleon. Instead, he devised a four-week campaign to split and surround the main body of the Russian Army in eastern Europe. It should also be noted, that the Grand Armée was simply a show of force, chastising Czar Alexander for not honoring their treaty to boycott Great Britain. Napoleon fully expected that the Russians would “come to their senses”, and new peace agreements would  result. Allowing him to continue in his quest to annihilate all things British.

Six months later, the Grand Armée finds itself destroyed, with 85% of the men dead. How did one the “greatest” military leaders in history squander half a million men? See for yourself by clicking on the picture to the right.

Photo Credit
The title picture is a compilation
of the following images:
woodleywonderworks, sektordua,
NASA Goddard, & Jacques-Louis David

Additionally, some questions to be answered, include—but are not limited to:

• Did his play on the board mirror tactics on the battlefield?
• What logic possesses a man in the 1800’s to ignore the Russian’s “scorched earth” policy with 500,000 of his men in the balance?
• How would the Battle of Waterloo play out on the chessboard?
• Who taught him the game of chess, and was he a quick study?

A clue in regard to his chess skills surfaced in a rather odd, but fascinating piece about a machine known as “The Turk”. The Turk, was a living machine—an Automaton—that played against human opponents. Critics were free to examine it thoroughly for any trickery or deceit, none was ever found. And apparently Napoleon played against the Turk—and to his chagrin—lost!

Enjoy the video about The Turk. Let me hear what you know about Napoleon’s exploits—chess or otherwise— and feel free to chime in with answers to the questions mentioned above.

Throughout the one hundred plus years of aviation history, accidents and fatalities have played an inevitable role. In the early years man learned from his engineering mistakes and the airplanes he designed became safer and more reliable. Yet accidents continued to occur, and today it is estimated that 75% of aviation accidents are due to human factors. This broad terminology covers the crew on board, the crews of other aircraft, and controllers on the ground. Human factors include fatigue, illness, proficiency and experience, emotions, and psychology. Part of a pilot’s pre-flight routine is a mental check against the five identified hazardous attitudes, including: anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, and resignation. Mistakes on the chessboard can also trace back to thinking patterns you may not even be aware of in yourself.

Anti-Authority

This attitude occurs when the pilot, or chess player, goes against proven principles without just cause. “I know what I am supposed to do,” he or she thinks, “but I am going to do it my way.”

Impulsivity

A decision made based on emotional appeal, without considering all the factors or implications, qualifies as impulsiveness. Stanley Kubrick’s quote applies:

Chess teaches you to control the initial excitement you feel when you see something that looks good and it trains you to think objectively when you’re in trouble.

Invulnerability

Watch out for this hazardous attitude when you are winning or doing something extremely well. Overconfidence leads to invulnerability, the feeling that nothing can touch you, or prevent you from succeeding. This phenomenon inspired Emmanuel Lasker’s famous quote:

The hardest game to win is a won game!

Macho

“Because I can,” is the mentality behind this attitude. Macho, is showing off. “I am not just going to win, I am going to win with style.” Players who have just learned a new trick, trap, or chess openings like Scholar’s Mate are particularly susceptible to this.

Resignation

This attitude is easier to detect than some others, but it is hard to correct. If you think yourself outmatched, it can occur before a game has even started. During a game it can follow both minor and major mistakes. And during long, involved, and intense games—it can happen when you reach your mental endurance limit.

Pushing Limits

The point of this discussion is not to squash initiative or creativity. Becoming more self-aware will help you become a stronger player. In aviation, pilots are encouraged to continually be aware of their thought processes, fatigue levels, and personal wellness. As the aircraft they fly become more technologically advanced, pushing the envelope of both physics and engineering, this helps ensure successful missions and a safe return to earth.

Flying, like every freedom we enjoy, comes with responsibility. But, there are few things better or more thrilling than darting through puffy white clouds, chasing the sun over mountains as it sets on the horizon, or enjoying the city lights in a quiet cockpit by night.

However, there is one thrill even aviators only dream about. To fly like a bird… It is at the root of man. We see the birds and say, “I want to do that!” Some have strapped on wings and leaped off of cliffs. A chess game with mother nature ensues, split second timing and cat like reflexes are mandatory. The right decision at the right time—EVERY TIME!

To push limits, you first have to realize where & what they are! When you take risks—knowing yourself—will help remove you from the equation determining success or failure.

Lukas Andreas

]]> http://www.mychesseveryday.com/64Squares/?feed=rss2&p=573 0 http://www.mychesseveryday.com/64Squares/?p=527 http://www.mychesseveryday.com/64Squares/?p=527#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:34:39 +0000 Lukas Andreas http://www.mychesseveryday.com/64Squares/?p=527

Nothing drives me crazier than the cliche reasons people use to explain why chess cannot appeal to the masses. Why is it that Joe Sixpack plays [...]

Nothing drives me crazier than the cliche reasons people use to explain why chess cannot appeal to the masses. Why is it that Joe Sixpack plays poker instead of chess?

Intimidation. Fear of the unknown. A mental-association, mandating that if you lose, you are a loser. And God forbid the lack of instant gratification, because chess is not broken up into bite-size chunks like “hands” of poker.

These factors are not limited to chess, but are deeply ingrained in the cultural DNA  of the Western world. I don’t pretend that chess is the answer to all of our problems, but it is a great antidote for a world descending into a vegetative state of being. So, why not chess!?!

Reassess The Game Of Chess

The next time your buddies want to have poker night, push hard for a chess initiation tournament. The rules of the game are simple, a quick explanation accompanied with cheat-sheets will suffice. Six to ten guys is plenty, don’t worry if you have odd numbers, the games pass quickly. The main equipment you will need are a sufficient number of chess boards, one stopwatch per game being played, and an additional time piece. The extra clock measures the overall time allowed for all games in a round (15 to 30 min), and the stopwatches provide a handicap for lower ranked players.

I have had great success using this system to foster interest and confidence in newer players. The experienced player is given just 5 minutes for all moves. If a stopwatch is used, the inexperienced player controls it. He starts the clock when he finishes his move, and stops it when an opponent removes their hand from the piece that they have moved. Courtesy warnings at the minute marks can be pre-arranged.

This new environment provides a novice with an opportunity to focus on something other than winning by checkmate. Instead, he or she focuses on moves that steer clear of trouble. In other words, by including “win on time” in their strategy, they realize playing conservatively improves the chances of success . Conversely, I have found that experienced players welcome the challenge of risking the sure thing for the handicap format. It gives them a chance to test their own creativity and chess imagination in a “tournament” type setting.

Tournament Format

Assign each player a number. The strongest player in the group is number one, the second is number two, etc. If you have eight players then round one is played as follows: #1 vs #3 / #2 vs #4 / #5 vs #6 / #7 vs #8. Round two matches the winners of the top half  against each other, and the losers of the top half play the winners of the bottom half. This process is repeated at the start of the third round. Once round three is completed new ratings are assigned. The players in the top game of that final round are the new #1 and #2, the runner-up game determines #3 and #4, etc. etc.

(click on picture for actual size)

Time—The Great Equalizer

There are two ways to implement the time control. The more conservative approach uses the stopwatch only when a player from the bottom half plays against any player from the top half. And when the lowest two ranked players, play anyone besides each other.

The preferred method is that the higher ranked player in every match earns the right to keep their spot by submitting to the handicap format. In the tournament format above, the first round matches #1 against #3. And #1 will be limited to a cumulative 5 minutes, as will #2, #5, and #7. For illustrative purposes, let’s say both #1 and #2 lose their first game. This means in Round Two the top game will feature #3 and #4. In this scenario #3 is now the higher ranked player and therefore subject to the 5 minute time limit. Throughout the tournament, unless they face each other, #1 and #2 will be the higher ranked players in their respective matches and therefore remain bound to the time cap.

It is recommended that the overall game clock is set to a minimum of 15 minutes. And experience says the optimal time is between 20 and 30 minutes. The whole tournament can therefore be as short as 45 minutes, and at the very longest will only take an hour and a half. Leaving plenty of time for poker, or perhaps a rematch?

Draws and Odd Number Players

The draw can favor either the higher ranked player or the lower ranked player. In each case the decision is made before the start the tournament. If it doesn’t work one way, reverse it for the next one.

An odd amount of players means that in each round one player will have a “by”. In Round 1 the second-to-last ranked player will sit out. In round two the loser of Game D sits out. And again in the third round, the loser of Game 4 sits out. This ensures that the lowest ranked player, will be a different person at the end of each tournament.

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My main goal in covering these inglorious parts of chess is not full comprehension, but exposure. By spending time just focusing on single aspects of the game, it should become easier for her to follow instructions that involve moving pieces on the board. As we repeat the same movements again and again, we can assign those patterns names. And pretty soon she’ll be playing a chess opening like the Ruy Lopez.

That is how toddlers learn best, repetition. The new activity becomes familiar and comfortable. Its why kids love hearing the same bedtime story multiple times every night. Each time though, their little brains are working overtime—recognizing the patterns and making new connections.