Many statesmen, politicians, writers and intellectuals in the history of France played chess. In the Middle Ages, Cardinal Richelieu excelled at chess. The writer Voltaire used to play chess by correspondence. The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau devoted many hours to the game, and during the French Revolution Robespierre, despite his many preoccupations with state affairs, used to play almost every day at the Café de la Rotonde on Boulevard Montparnasse.
Chess games in the northwest corner of the Luxembourg Gardens
Today, over six hundred million people in the world play chess regularly. A few dozen of them do it in a very special place – in the northwest corner of the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, under the open sky. They gather every day in the afternoon and stay there until it gets completely dark, or rather until the guards forcefully evict them in preparation for the gardens to close. The love of chess is the main reason why the competitors are here. For some it is a kind of escape, for others it is company. Sometimes their only company. Some of the regular participants have formed quite strong bonds of friendship. In any case, Luxembourg Gardens They provide a green and pleasant retreat that allows them to escape for a short time from the surrounding urban hustle and bustle and enjoy an atmosphere of perfect relaxation.
Throughout history, she has seen Paris Many battlefields. Here you can find a unique battlefield that takes place on a checkered board with 64 squares. The boards are engraved on permanent tables in the garden. There is almost always a shortage of tables and those who are late are forced to improvise. When there is no choice, the green metal chairs scattered around the garden are also used as a substitute for tables. The pieces and chess clocks are brought from home. There is a wide variety of people here, of all types, ages, colors and genders, many are retirees, women are in a large minority. A very small number of the participants indicate that they also play in competitions and leagues. It seems that they have theoretical knowledge of the openings. Some have been playing the same openings for 30 years. The great expertise of most of them is in blitz games, usually competing with each other with only three minutes allotted for each side for the entire game. There are also those who are there as “kivitzers” – chess enthusiasts who sit for hours on end and watch others play. Every now and then they throw in a comment or piece of advice that is crucial to their assessment.
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Interview with a Parisian chess enthusiast in the Luxembourg Gardens
On my last visit to Paris, I met one of the participants there, an older woman with silver hair and a delicate face, a psychologist by profession. I introduced myself as a journalist and chess player from Israel and asked how often she came here? “I come on average twice a week. My husband is here every day. I know how to play at a basic level. I find suitable opponents but I never play blitz games. I need time to think.”
Don't you get bored here sometimes?
“Not at all. I enjoy playing myself, watching others play, and sometimes there are heated arguments about positions on the board, arguments that sometimes develop into fights between friends. Some chess players are aggressive in nature, others show restraint. It’s interesting that over the years they have developed a special kind of professional humor and spicy conversations that are understandable only to them.”
Some people stay here for long hours every day, don't they have families?
“Most of them have families. The families know that it is an integral part of their lives and accept it. The bottom line is that it is a game with a lot of positive and beneficial features.”
Does the weather not interfere with the activity?
“Sometimes, definitely. On a very rainy day accompanied by strong winds, it is impossible to play here. Even the small covered shed doesn't help. It happened more than once that my husband came home soaked. As a chess player, you probably know that sometimes it is impossible to stop in the middle of a fascinating position and fold. Most of the time, the love of the game outweighs the weather here.”
The battle arena above the checkered board is located in a spectacular location next to the palace, the tall trees, the many statues, the gallery, the museum, the pool, the orchestra stage, the tennis courts, the petanque complexes, and the children's playgrounds.
Do the chess players here see and feel their surroundings or are they disconnected?
“It seems that most of them are goal-oriented only and their environment is irrelevant. The fact From the Medici fountain The adjacent one is built in the Italian style and doesn't really bother them. For them, the style of the Italian opening on the board is what's really important. The main thing is that the white bishop stands strong on the c-4 square and indirectly threatens the black king. The many statues of queens France The ones scattered in the garden remain transparent to the Luxembourg chess players. Only two queens are in the world – the white one and its black opponent. For the players, they radiate more power than any historical statue and may advance the ultimate goal – the subjugation of the opponent. Even the giant clock placed in front of the Luxembourg Palace, the current seat of the French Senate, is not really relevant to them – what is really important to them is the position of the hands of the chess clock next to them, which helps them know how short their time is and they must hurry to make their moves to avoid a cruel loss in time.”