Chessboard Amazon
Submitted by
on Fri, 02/13/2009 at 2:53pm.
I have to thank my good friend emiab for E-mailing a link to the 2002 movie Two Weeks Notice starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock in which Dorian Missick delivers the following enlightened commentary on one half of the human race.
“Chess has rules. It has pieces—rook, knight, bishop. Now they move in predictable patterns. Somebody wins, somebody loses. But women? They don't have no rules. They move in unpredictable ways too. Nobody ever wins when it comes to women ... All men are pawns when it comes to women.”
Emiab thought it might form the basis for a story but my immediate reaction was to run away and hide. If I went down that road I was likely to incur the wrath of every feminist in chess.com. Then I realised that there was a way to tackle this without succumbing to an attack of gynophobia, for the strongest piece on the chessboard represents Woman. Helen Reddy, step aside—here comes Dozy!
Those traditionalists who perceived women to be predominantly carers missed out on another important aspect of their make-up: let no one come between a woman, her home and her family, for she will defend them ferociously.
So it is on the chessboard.
In the following position Frank Marshall had just captured white's h3 bishop. It looked safe, for if gxh3 the knight fork at f3 wins the queen. White thought he had had found a resource and played 23.Rc5 threatening the queen which appeared to have limited manoeuvrability.
Did she run away, leaving her castle to it's fate? Not this queen. With a cry of rage that would have wrought fear in the heart of the most bloodthirsty predator, she leapt to g3 where she could have been captured in three different ways, bared her teeth, and dared white to do his worst.
It was an incredible sacrifice by Frank Marshall, and ranks with the most remarkable moves ever played. If 24.Qxg3 Ne2+ and wins. If 24.hxg3 Ne2#. If 24.fxg3 Ne2+ 25.Kh1 Rxf1+. And don't even think about moving the rook at f1 to create some lebensraum for the knight covers the only possible escape square.
White resigned.