Young Jose’s Passion

The telegraph Hotel did exist, Jose Casablanca’s father was named Jorge and was a lieutenant at Morrow Castle. Aside from a few historical facts like this; this is entirely a work of fiction.

Young Jose’s Passion

The White king lay in the centre of the board. Young Juan in near tears extended his hand and in near tears said ‘’good game’’, but while he thought ‘’This guy is just too good, he has beaten me twice in a row and the match has just started, he must have read over a hundred chess books I have read none, maybe this match should not have been arranged’’.

Vazquez stepped over the crimson ropes to where Jose was seated. Vazquez was a friend Jose’s and a great rival of Corzo. He had beaten him a number of years back for the Cuban championships. Even though he was a friend of Jose’s he thought Juan had slim chances now. The first game Juan allowed his king to be hopelessly exposed to a withering attack; conducted with Queen and Rooks, dominating open files, straight to. Juan’s king. He did not understand the black side of the Evans Gambit at all it seems. In the second game Jose tried for a vague attack with Queen and Bishop, but Corzo easily refuted it and Jose found himself in a very difficult end- game; Corzo’s pressure with rook down the King Bishop file, eventually led to Corzo losing his rook for a bishop and a totally lost game.  ‘’Jose you need to not lose the next two games. You are black, just be careful and play a solid game. It is your birthday tomorrow; the rest will help your game.’’ Would you like to come over, my mother is cooking lunch, she said I could invite anyone I like’’. ‘’ Ok then I’ll see you tomorrow’’.

 Next day Maria Jose’s mother had been preparing; Tournedos beef tender loin medallions wrapped in bacon, Mignon salad and fruit sorbet. Alicia his younger sister and younger brother Ramiro were throwing a ball at each other in the back yard. Ramiro took aim and hit Alicia in the back. “I hit you’’ No you didn’t, it you hit the tree’’. ‘’Don’t lie I hit you that’s a point to me’’. ‘’Ok then’’ Alicia then threw the ball back at Ramiro as hard as she could.’’ Juan’s older broth Salvador, not having much time for Jose, was probably visiting his friend down the road. Vazquez knocked; ‘’come said Jorge’’. Jorge Juan’s father was a lieutenant in the Calvary and he was posted at Morrow Castle. Morrow Castle which juts out to sea on the jagged shores of Havana Bay, with the twelve cannons called the Twelve Apostles encased in the crooked walls of the castle. Is the first line of the defence for any enemy of Cuba.

‘’ This is delicious Maria’’ said Troitzky’s somewhat enthusiastically. Jorge is a very lucky man having a wife, who cooks like. ‘’Thank you Vasquez, I do not spoil the family every day as everyone here knows ’’. After the festivities of lunch, Vazquez handed Jose a parcel, saying ‘’happy birthday Jose’’. ‘’Thank you Vazquez’’ Jose’s ‘’  Was Jose’s somewhat shy response was. He really did not expect a gift from his friend. Contained within the box was a copy of the Steinitz vs Lasker Match of 1896, written by Wilhelm Steinitz, along some other opening books was a Copy of Trotsky’s End Games. His father gave him a baseball ball bat. Juan loved it. He loved baseball; He played baseball all afternoon with his two younger siblings and Vazquez. That night Jose sat and studied the games of Steinitz and Lasker.

Jose dressed in long black trousers and long sleeved shirt and well combed hair. Entered the horse and carriage which took them to the Telegraph Hotel; Jose entered the roped enclosure and sat down. Corzo entered and sat as well. The clocks started, Jose was black, he equalized easily, and it was solid performance. He responded to Corzo’s Pawn to queen with pawn to queen five. There were three more draws; Juan gained a little confidence was  starting  to realize he need not lose this match. But he still had doubts; it was fresh in his memory the first two to loses, it would only take one more. Vazquez jumped the ropes at the end of the game drawn game and said. ‘’Have you looked at any of the endgame studies of   Troitzky yet’’. ‘‘No not yet, I’ve looked at some of the games from the Steinitz Lasker match, I’ve been intending to study them soon, it looks interesting.’’ The opening books weren’t Jose’s cup of tea.

That night Juan opened up Troitzky and setup a position from it, the board was almost bare. He peered at it for half an hour, moving the pieces in his head; he worked all it out, he was on to the idea after five minutes and for the next twenty five he navigated all the nuances of the position. After several Queen checks come a silent knight move that brought the black pieces to paralysis. He worked out a couple more that night, some of them pretty tough, but all of them had some interesting twist, this work would remain a fascination for Jose for a good many year; he could sleep in tomorrow, it was his being a day off. On his day off he did not study chess, instead he played baseball. Jose a great fan of baseball was considering joining a team for next season. That wonder night as he was dozing off to sleep; he wondered again if he would ever beat Corzo.

The next day the clocks started at ten o’clock sharp. Juan was white, he started with pawn to queen four and set his pieces up in a Zukertort’s formation, his queen bishop developed at queen’s knight two and his knight posted on king five. It is a simple and solid opening with latent attacking possibilities. After about move twenty five moves Juan thought for some time, he was moving the pieces in his head as he gazed at the board. His heart raised a beat as he saw it:  ‘’ Pawn to king six, if queen takes my pawn I have pawn to  queen five unleashing my bishop on queens knight two with check to his king winning his queen’’. Corzo easily saw this and played his bishop to attack Juan’s queen to win the rook for the bishop with a near winning position. But this was anticipated by Juan. Corzo sank into thought as Jose played the magnificent queen sacrifice: “queen takes bishop, queen takes queen, pawn to queen five check unblocking the now sweeping queen bishop tucked in the corner’’. The combination brought him dominating pawns, one on king’s bishop seven, after taking a knight and another on queen six, about to advance to the seventh to make a new queen and a knight ready to jump to king’s bishop five dominating rook .The pressure was too great for Corzo: he gave back his queen, but it was too late. Juan’s excitement escalated. He kept it restrained except for his usual small smile as he executed his final moves. Corzo’s king was helplessly stuck in the corner, while Juan’s knight, bishop and advanced pawns proved too much against Corzo’s lone rook and ineffectual pawns. So after a few more moves, Corzo laid his king down. As Juan sat, all restraint left, his smile broadened to full width; the applause that engulfed him seemed like slow motion. This is ecstasy.