Draft:Music and Chess APOLLO MEETS CAISSA
Comment: There is little here to suggest that the topic is notable, see WP:YFA, the layout is appalling see WP:MOS and the referencing is poor, see WP:REFB. Theroadislong (talk) 21:16, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
| Author | Achilleas Zographos |
|---|---|
| Original title | Music and Chess - Apollo meets Caissa |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Music and Chess Theory |
| Published | November 3, 2017 |
| Publisher | Russell Enterprises, Inc. |
| Publication place | U.S.A. |
| ISBN | 978-1-941270-72-1 |
Description[edit]
Apollo meets Caissa is a book written by Achilleas Zographos and published by Russell Enterprises, Inc. (November 2017). It examines the relation of music to chess. Mathematics is a main common denominator, a fact that is highlighted accordingly. [1]
In an interview given shortly after the publication of the book, Zographos stressed that “…the book does not attempt to prove with scientifically irrefutable arguments the existence of this relationship. The nature of the subject is such that there is an inconspicuous limit beyond which things are perceived rather more intuitively than strictly logical. There is however a large number of indications. I set a goal for myself - to write a book that above all is entertaining and instructive”. [2]
As it becomes clear through the reading of the book, this relation has already been introduced by some great chess players such as Mikhail Tal or Vladimir Kramnik. Great artists such as John Cage, Marcel Duchamp or Arnold Schönberg, to name but a few, have also been fascinated by the very same idea. [3]
The author addresses a broad audience. There are chapters specialized in chess and music, while others cover related issues of general, social and artistic nature. According to the writer, chess can also be linked to fields which are seemingly incompatible to the game, such as architecture or literature. As mentioned in chapter 7 for example, the so-called hypermodern school, which appeared in the 1920s, was possibly influenced by the architectural trends of their era. [4]
Summary and contents[edit]
The main thesis of this work is that chess is art in itself. It can create art and is strongly related to mathematics and music. [5]
As opposed to music, in order to ensure comprehension, chess presupposes knowledge of its rules. The book sets out by acknowledging that the reader is aware of the moves and the basic rules governing the game. On the other hand, no technical knowledge of music is required to appreciate the material presented. References to it are influenced by the preferences of the author for Western classical music from the 16th century to today, and for jazz. [6]
Apollo meets Caissa comprises 30 chapters. (Numbers refer to chapters): 1. Introduction 2. Definitions 3. Historical review 4. Chess notation 5. An enigmatic report, in fact a prelude to Chapter 6. Exploring similarities, which attempts a first comparison of chess and music. 7. Components, where the components of music are explained and compared in detail to chess. Chapters 8 to 13 (Complexity, Paradox, Humor, Fictional dialogue, Chess, geometry and art, Imagination and mysticism) present a variety of subjects directly or indirectly related to chess. 14. Philidor and Rameau presents an interesting connecting theory by Juan Maria Solare and 15. Richard Reti and atonality makes an analogous attempt by the author.
Chapters 16 to 24 present personalities associated with the subject in one way or another: 16. Arnold Schönberg’s Coalition Chess 17. Sergey Prokofiev’s passion 18. John Cage and Marcel Duchamp: Reunion 19. Mark Taimanov: Stepping on two peaks 20. Vasily Smyslov: I became accustomed to thinking of chess as an art 21. Mikhail Tal: I prefer to compare chess with music 22. Vladimir Kramnik: Almost all musicians play chess 23. Levon Aronian: I’ve got a maniacal affection for jazz 24. Other noteworthy personalities: Raymond Smullyan, Noam D. Elkies, Harmony Zhu, Svetozar Gligoric, Lajos Portisch, Emil Sutovsky.
Chapter 25. Ludwig is about a computer program combining chess and music, 26 presents Valeri Tsaturian and the invention of ‘chessmusic’ and 27 is Guido van der Werve’s ‘chess-piano’. 28. Perfectionism and 29. Variations on a theme intend to share some further thoughts, and finally 30. Quotations are sorted in three categories: music, chess and mathematics.
The last section of Apollo meets Caissa contains, besides the Epilogue, the following indexes: Common Terms in Music and Chess; Bibliography; Links; Index of names; Index of videos or youtube channels; Picture credits. Finally, some information is provided About the author. [7]
Index of Videos (musicandchess.com) offers easy access to music examples provided in the book. Last but not least, the text is supplemented by many chess diagrams, charts, and over 50 full-color images.
Background[edit]
The writer has been pondering on the connection between chess and music for several years. [25] Being a professional music teacher, his interest in the subject grew when he started teaching chess as well. While reading extensively, attending seminars for trainers and getting more experience, he noticed many similarities between the two. Gradually it became apparent that these were not accidental. This is how this book came into life. [8]
The author[edit]
Achilleas Zographos is a classical pianist. He completed his post graduate music studies in Essen, Germany at the Folkwang University of the Arts, with a major in piano performance, after finishing his studies in Greece with honors. Among other related activities he has delivered piano and chamber music recitals in Europe and Asia and has written articles for the established music journal Classical Music Review.
Zographos is also a national chess master and a certified trainer (FI) by the International Chess Federation. At his peak, he was ranked among the top 100 chess players in Greece.
He has been teaching music and chess at the State Music School of Pallini, Greece since 1998. Under his guidance, his students have explored the affinity of chess with other arts and music in particular. [9]
Reception[edit]
Book reviews (abstracts)[edit]
• Matthew Sadler, grandmaster and former British champion: Russell Enterprises should be praised for bringing out such a beautifully produced work … All in all, a delightful read! [10] • Dr. Robert Samuels, musicologist, senior lecturer in Music Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences at The Open University: And now – joy of joys! – the chess publisher Russell Enterprises has presented a book on exactly the topic of this blog … you should definitely get yourself a copy. [11] • Harry Schaack, editor in chief of the German cultural chess magazine KARL: There has always been a certain affinity between chess and music … How multifaceted the cultural and contextual relationships are, can be appreciated through Achilleas Zographos’ Music and Chess ... The book's merit is to clarify the multiple parallels between the two fields, at a depth barely touched upon as yet. [12] • Sean Marsh, columnist in Chess: We all know of the link between chess, maths and music, but only now is the relatively uncovered connection between chess and music fully explored by the Greek author … Certainly takes the reader on a fascinating and wide-ranging journey. [13] • Dennis Monokroussos, FIDE master, at his blog The Chess Mind: A unique book … a tip of the hat to Russell Enterprises for boldly publishing this experimental work. [14] • Patriarch Fan, columnist in Chess Daily News: While the function of the book is to compare and contrast chess and music, the way in which Mr. Zographos does so is quite compelling … If you are a fan of both chess and music, or if you are a fan of one who would like to learn more about the other, then I highly recommend this book. [15] • Uwe Bekemann, columnist in Schach Magazin 64: A cornucopia of completely new ideas… Very special and at the same time fascinating work. [16]
Awards and recognition - Citations[edit]
• The first presentation of the book was held at Meropeio Foundation, Athens in January 2018. [17] • In an interview to the TV Channel SKAI, International master and chess writer Ilias Kourkounakis claimed that the book masterfully demonstrates the importance of art in our everyday life. [18] • Former USA Women Chess Champion and senior lecturer at the University of Texas, Dr. Alexey W. Root and William Root devote a certain space to the book in their article Music and Chess. [19] • The writer performed a piano-lecture recital on the topic, in the Athens Megaron Concert Hall in October 2018, organized by “Athens Culture Net” (ACN) and “Athens World Book Capital 2018”. [20,21,22] • Apollo meets Caissa was awarded 1st prize in the category “Work of Art” from the Musichess Academy in Madrid, Spain in 2018. Its author was a guest lecturer in the II Mind Sports Games held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, the same year. [23,24,25]
References[edit]
1. Achilleas Zographos. Music and Chess. Apollo meets Caissa. Milford, CT: Russell Enterprises, Inc., 2017. ISBN: 978-1-941270-72-1 (print); 978-1-941270-73-8 (ebook), back page. 2. Interview Music and Chess to Christos Pilalis, Sportday newspaper, 24/1/2018 (translated). 3. Achilleas Zographos, op. cit., back page. 4. Achilleas Zographos, op. cit., pp. 69-70. 5. Achilleas Zographos, op. cit., p. 10. 6. Achilleas Zographos, op. cit., p. 12. 7. Achilleas Zographos, op. cit., pp. 10-11. 8. Dr. A. W. Root & W. Root, Chess Life Magazine, Music and Chess, vol. 12/2017, p.40. 9. Achilleas Zographos, op. cit., back page (modified). 10. Matthew Sadler, New in Chess, 2/2018, p.95. 11. Dr. Robert Samuels, Book review: Music and Chess (Achilleas Zographos) – The Chess and Music Blog (wordpress.com) (Retrieved 24/2/2018). 12. Harry Schaack, KARL, 2/2018, p.63 (translated). 13. Sean Marsh, Chess, vol. 82-11, February 2018, p.57. 14. Dennis Monokroussos, http://www.thechessmind.net/blog (Retrieved 2/12/2017) 15. Patriarch Fan, https://www.themaven.net/chessdailynews (Retrieved 4/12/2017) 16. Uwe Bekemann, Schach Magazin 64, vol. 2/2019, p.43 (translated). 17. Book presentation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EoUZk11XCQ&t=7s (Retrieved 11/6/2023) 18. TV channel SKAI Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eLwRlPQri8 (Retrieved 11/6/2023) 19. Dr. A. W. Root & W. Root, op. cit., p. 40. 20. Lecture Όταν ο Απόλλωνας συνάντησε την Κάισσα (Apollo meets Caissa) - YouTube 21. Lecture subtitled in English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ngQuR7qoMQ 22. https://mmb.org.gr/el/event/otan-o-apollonas-synantise-tin-kaissa (Retrieved 11/6/2023) 23. MusiChess-Awards-2018.-Event.jpg (794×1123) (Retrieved 11/6/2023) 24. https://musichess.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/II-Open-MindSports-2018-II-Concierto-de-Ajedrez.jpg (Retrieved 11/6/2023) 25. http://escacsbalears.org/2019/01/08/ii-open-mindsports-cronica-final/ (Retrieved 11/6/2023)
External links[edit]
- The publisher’s official website (Retrieved 11/6/2023)
- music_chess_excerpt.pdf (squarespace.com) A book’s excerpt. (Retrieved 11/6/2023)
- The book in Amazon (Retrieved 11/6/2023)
- The book in New in Chess (Retrieved 11/6/2023)
Categories: Music, Chess, History, Culture, Mathematics