This is just a very short entry, to tell all readers of this blog that they are required to click here and read the continuation of Bryan Smith’s travelogue in Europe. His series, “A Traveling Chess Player,” is the best writing ever on chess.com. It’s a rich, fascinating tapestry that isn’t just about chess — it’s about being young, going on an adventure, discovering yourself, and discovering the world. Especially a part of the world (Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic and Serbia) that is not on the radar screen of most Americans.
That’s really all I need to say, but if you want a short reminder of the plot, here it is.
Bryan (who is, by the way, one of my ChessLecture colleagues) was thoroughly disillusioned with chess in America and with his own poor play. He decided before the first article to pick up and move to Europe and seek his chess fortune there. Articles 1-3 are about his experiences in the first couple of months, when he continued to play badly and made up his mind to quit chess. But he had committed to play in one more tournament, the Bulgarian Open. Against all odds, he won third place there and earned a grandmaster norm. Most importantly, he wrote at the end of Article 3, “I realized I was happy being a chess player again.”
Originally he had intended to end the series there, but so many people clamored for more that he has now written two more installments. These recount some more aimless wandering, some unexpected tournament successes in difficult-to-get-to places, and finally Bryan finding a place to settle down semi-permanently in Serbia.
What strikes me most in this series is the way that Bryan keeps on doing better than he expected. He’s improving, and he doesn’t even know why. My theory is that this experience of living in other countries and coping with completely unfamiliar situations is forcing his mind to be open and receptive. He got past the critical point when everything seemed to be coming apart, and now the seeds he planted in the winter are flourishing in the spring.
The only thing I don’t quite get is the reason for Bryan’s utter disillusionment with American chess. He writes, “tournaments in the U.S., particularly the biggest ones (those run by the Continental Chess Association), were like self-torture conventions, where a bunch of crazy people would gather to cut off their fingers with knives. The atmosphere, for someone who has spent his life in chess, is soul-crushing.” My experience has been completely different. Bryan’s articles don’t really give you any specifics about why he feels this way. But maybe it’s just as well for him to leave unpleasant memories in the past.
Anyway, don’t miss these great articles. Bryan says that this is the end of the series, but as we’ve seen before, his plans can change, and I hope they will. 😎
