PERUTTU: Selected Themes in Russian Studies: Chess culture in Russia, 5 op

The course asks what role chess plays in Russian culture, in modern and historic times. What does the popularity of chess in Russia (especially in the Soviet Union) tell us about the Russian people and the Russian (Soviet) society?

A central issue will be to try to understand the role of the Soviet chess school and the dominance of Soviet players in elite chess after the Second World War. In what respect does the Soviet chess school stand out in the history of chess? What is the influence of this school on the rest of the chess world? What does it mean to belong to the Soviet chess school?

We will trace the origins of Russian chess, its development in Tsar-Russia (from Petrov to Alekhin) and the chess boom under Krylenko in the 1930-ies. We will look at the impact of chess in language, literature (Pushkin, Tolstoy, Nabokov, Ilf & Petrof, Shalamov etc.), and politics (Lenin, Stalin, Brezhnev, Kasparov, Putin). Eight out of 16 world champions (Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosyan, Spassky, Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik) were raised in the Soviet chess school. In this respect, we will look into classical conflicts of interest between the center (Moscow/Leningrad) and periphery (Caucasia, The Baltics etc.).

What is the status of chess in Russia today compared to chess in former Soviet republics like Armenia or Ukraine?

Lectures (5 x 3 hours):

Day 1: Overview. The Russian/Soviet World Champions.

Day 2: Chess in Tsar-Russia. History, culture, literature.

Day 3: The Soviet chess experiment. From Botvinnik to Spassky.

Day 4: The Karpov-Kortchnoi-Kasparov era. Politics and conflicts.

Day 5: Chess in Russian language, popular culture and literature.