Pawn Sacrifice

“…every minute aspect of the ‘Match of the Century’ (Bobby Fischer vs. Boris Spassky) has been put under chess, psychological and socio-political microscopes.  There is not much new or original that many be said about this match – it was simply an event that gripped the entire world…”

Karsten Muller

Just recently I had the opportunity to see the movie “Pawn Sacrifice.” It is loosely based on the life of Bobby Fischer, but focused mainly on his 1972 match against Boris Spassky for the World Chess Championship title.  Due in large part to Fischer, what was once simply a hobby people indulged, became an international event that captivated the world.

An eccentric genius, Fischer was a chess ‘rock star,’ a monumental being, the type of person who comes along every hundred years or so and has a profound effect on the world.  Of record, no one before or after him has impacted the sport of chess in the manner that he did.  His very name is virtually synonymous with chess.  Prior to the release of “Pawn Sacrifice,” if you had asked anyone who knows anything about chess to name the most famous chess player in the history of the game, most of them would have answered “Bobby Fischer.”

Before this, the computer age, he was considered a genius of chess, a true evolutionist of the game.  He loved it so much that he is quoted to have said, “All I want to do, ever, is play chess.” Thus, he sacrificed so much else in life and as a result, is revered as a chess legend.  Perhaps even, the greatest player to ever live.

There is a saying that goes, “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.” This type of iron-willed determination is what propels people to greatness, motivates them to achieve the seemingly impossible.  Being condemned to die for over seventeen years and counting, I have both witnessed and experienced the ebb and flow of the desire to live.  It is an everyday struggle to not succumb to the gloom and despair of an American “death house.”

When your friends are being executed and also, just simply dying all around you, it is impossible not to be affected.  It is difficult to be optimistic and not question the point of continuing to live in such a state. Yet we persist.  Mourning our fallen comrades, we immortalize them in word and deed. They are not forgotten. Whether it be with hopes of receiving relief through the courts or merely in accepting life for what it is and living, making the best of our situation.  Regardless of the circumstances of our incarceration, we endure the sacrifice of fate; suffer the loss of our freedom.  We refuse to resign.

A pawn sacrifice is the sacrificing of a pawn to achieve a positional advantage.

Approximately two years ago we were honored with our first visit from Eugene Brown, the man who inspired the movie “Life of a King” in which he is portrayed by Oscar award winning actor Cuba Gooding, Jr.  During this visit and the others that have followed, he has shared with us accounts of his experiences and overall objective in life.  After years of living the life of a criminal and being addicted to drugs, he has “habilitated” himself and become a productive part of society. 

He is the founder and CEO of The Big Chair Chess Club, has a book (“From a Pawns to a Kings”), scheduled to be released in spring of 2016, and is a community activist mentoring youth.  He has also spoken at jails and prisons around the country.  An undeniable inspiration, he is a truly dedicated agent of social and penal reform.  For him, chess isn’t just a game, it is a way of life.  It is a vehicle he uses to navigate through life successfully and he counsels others to do the same.

Now what, one may ask, does this have to do with men who have been condemned to die?  Mr. Brown has discovered among us a light of hope and source of inspiration and motivation for those in need of it.  He has witnessed our humanity and thus, has sacrificed his time and efforts to provide us with an opportunity to reaffirm it to the world, through the noble game of chess.  As the newly appointed National Ambassador for Chess in Prisons, it is his desire to establish our unit as the headquarters for the National Prison Chess League. 

Through this league prisoners will compete against one another via Skype and/or Internet links.  The league will also organize events in which prisoners compete against civilian players.  Furthermore, the games played will be published in books, (The Death Row Gambit) and magazines (Lethal Injection), for the world to see, documenting our legacy in the annals of chess history, a major ‘life’ accomplishment for us.

Times are changing.  Chess is becoming more popular in the 21st century.  Chess programs are now commonplace in schools.  Recently, school children right here in Raleigh competed against children in Nigeria, and the youngest U.S. female chess master is an eleven-year-old girl.  Chess clubs are being established all around the world and on the Internet tens of thousands of games are played daily.  Then there is the release of the movie, Pawn Sacrifice. 

All of this is a sign of the rebirth of chess popularity.  For us on North Carolina’s Death Row, chess is a productive pastime, hence our association with Eugene Brown.  He has recognized that with us, chess is more than just a game.  It is a means for us to mitigate our humanity.

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Copyright © 2016 by Rodney Taylor, Sr.