CHAPMATE: Chess Poetry

Armin Hamrah '23, photo from Unsplash.com A king elegy from our favorite chess poet! The last safe piece Rests at the board’s origin Asking for the opponent’s zugzwang Watching the vertices in awe Fearing its extinction Sinking in the quicksand of the board It spins in circles With tactful patience Hoping for a stalemate’s liberation An endless quarantine The impossibility of escape Drives him to insanity

Armin Hamrah '23, recycling William Carlos Williams. Image from Unsplash.com I have forked the rooks that were on the back rank and which you were probably using to build your defense forgive me they were vulnerable so attractive and so satisfying

Armin Hamrah '23 Photo from Unsplash.com Residing on the second rank, You patiently wait... Wait to be pushed forward Only to be left undefended By my unappreciative eyes... Pawn, oh royal pawn, Worthless to a common eye, But crucial To my great attacks nigh... Shift the structure, Shift the board, Your chains and breaks Go unadored... Yet your physicality And practicality Are ever-present On the checkered board

Armin Hamrah '23 In the flat world’s corner, there was a knight Brave, pugnacious, ready for a fight Jumping to an outpost Where it can be used most Forking pieces like food all night Unsplash.com

Armin's chess poem is so crazy this morning that we've decided that an image might do a better job of preserving the format. Take a look at the incredible zigzags that this piece makes (pun intended). Image from Unsplash.com

(recycling Pablo Neruda’s Sonnet XVII). Image from Unsplash.com I don’t love you as if you were a classical arena or an untimed casual . I love you as you challenge me and develop my speedy reflexes I love you — as a king loves his mate or a thinker loves pondering, so I give thanks to your haste . From my heartless heart to my mindless mind—————————— I love you — without knowing your deep scar on their thought I love you — wholly without minding my occasional blunders I love you — like this because of your superior matchess…

“Chess is life” - Bobby Fischer Because it is our universal language Because it improves mental age by up to 14 years Because it promotes accountability and responsibility Chess is life Because I have been playing since I can first remember Because it has acted as a bridge between cultures for 1500 years Because it evokes concentration, logic, and critical thinking Chess is life Because it absorbs your emotions Because it stimulates the growth of our brain’s dendrites Because it calms us in adverse situations Chess is life Because it keeps Alzheimer's away Because it instills virtues of graceful losing…

Armin Hamrah '23, photo from Unsplash.com A multifaceted mastermind The queen is a supreme tactician More powerful than its factors combined . Forks and pins are easy to find Commander of the mission A multifaceted mastermind . A unique piece, one of a kind Igniting the opponents’ demolition More powerful than its factors combined . Ventures upon spotting a line Regardless of its disposition A multifaceted mastermind . When attacking, trades declined Checks are in its intuition More powerful than its factors combined . Few restrictions, undefined Capable of fianchettos and infiltration A multifaceted mastermind More powerful than its factors…

Armin Hamrah '23 My eyes are called by the magnetic board Attracted to the polarized corners In the early game they’re often ignored Left isolated on the back border At the juncture of the files and ranks Found many times within an endgame book X-Rays and pins make them as strong as tanks Only one piece is stronger than the rook Defenses broken with infiltration Rooks undermine the structure of the pawns Requiring intense concentration Without them an attack cannot go on Whether a staircase or blind swine checkmate Brave rooks must always strive to infiltrate Photo from Unsplash.com

Armin Hamrah '23 Invisible pawn Where is my opponent's one? On the ayyyyyyyy/ahhhhhhhh file Photo taken from Unsplash.com