It is generally accepted that photography can be art, that is, an artist can express him/herself through it, and others can recognize this expression in the photograph. Likewise, a martial art can be an art ( hence, the term). What about the game of chess? It shares many aspects with martial arts, except, perhaps, the physical one. There is conflict, strategy, tactics, pressure, discipline. Arguably, these concepts can be appreciated only by observing the dynamics of the game as it is being played out. But is it really true? Are there inherently beautiful chess positions? Perhaps, they are not unlike beautiful mathematical formulae, which can be appreciated even by someone with a fairly limited knowledge of he subject.
For a while, I had an idea for this project: to try to take artistic photos of famous chess positions – not to attempt to document the game, but to simply treat it as a still life. So here is my first experiment. I used a 100 mm macro lens to photograph this still life with our new maplewood-and-ebony chess set that Svetlana and I bought during our recent visit to Munich.
This is the position at the move number 16 of the 1945 United States vs. Soviet Union radio match between Denker (White) and Botvinnik. Often used as a classic example of a relative pin applied early in the game, this layout is a result of a flurry of tactics unleashed by Black, who constantly shifted the focus of his attacks, and daring sacrifices by White. This is a partial view (not showing all pieces – as I mentioned, the intent is not to document the position) of the middle-game seen from the White camp. Do you feel the drama?
What happened next? 16. …Qc7. And White did not last long.