Chess playing on a high level requires a certain type of mind, though exactly what kind the psychologists have not yet determined. As a case in point, the game has a mere 17 classical world champions. Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is the current world champion. Kings, queens and emperors, presidents and prime ministers, have referred to the game as an intellectual and challenging pursuit. Sometimes when we explore the lives of these world champions and other great players, we chance upon some charming stories, which are more or less playful, but which would make us tingle with excitement.
The 11th world champion Garry Kasparov narrated one such story which fascinated me, and which I promised to retell this week.