“…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.
Check
Copyright © 2016 by Rodney Taylor, Sr.
