A Chess Story is a complex short story. In these few pages, a story unfolds as a game of chess. The world champion in chess faces an “amateur” chess player on board a ship who claims not to have played chess for twenty-five years and yet exercising an amazing skill at the game. A good part of the life of this “amateur” chess player is revealed in the story which explains his obsession with the game and his unnatural frenzy when playing it.
The story is not about chess, however. The story is indeed formulated on the game, but underneath it, there run some deeper themes that Zweig explores. Given the real facts of the author’s life, it is easy to identify one theme as isolation. With the rise of the power of Hitler, Zweig quit his beloved Austria and lived in many countries in self-exile. Living away from home in isolation is reflected in the character of Dr. B who (in the story) is condemned to solitary confinement at Gestapo headquarters. With vivid descriptions, Zweig exposes the mental torture of a man living in isolation. He does so skillfully that it becomes the most sensitive part of the story.
However, the isolation develops an obsession in Dr. B. To ward off his mental agony at being kept in solitary confinement, he forms a strong unhealthy attraction to the game of chess. At first, the distraction keeps him from losing his sanity. But with time, his obsession with the game causes him despair pushing him towards violence. This is true for Zweig. He wanted to see Hitler defeated. However, the continuous aggression and success of Hitler made him despair and led to his tragic demise. Czentovic on the other hand seems to be representing Hitler. The final chess battle between Czentovic and Dr. B is like the battle between Hitler’s success and Zweig’s despair. Dr. B’s withdrawal from chess without seeing to an end perhaps can be seen as Zweig’s withdrawal from life.
The story is almost autobiographical. Knowledge of that made the reading so much more touching. It was not an easy read, however. The raw emotions invested in the story dart an arrow through your heart, piercing it deeply. The story is certainly not an enjoyable one; its contents assure that. Yet, it is a story that demands you to feel what Dr. B and Zweig felt. It calls for your understanding. It calls for your empathy.
Rating: 3/5
