polish gambit accepted – sobieski’s variation | slavische studies.pdf

Slavische StudiesGeschiedenis & Cultuur van het Slavisch gebied — metgastbijdragen over Roemenië

Polish gambit accepted – Sobieski’s variation | Slavische Studies https://slavischestudies.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/polish-gambit-a...

1 of 10 3/21/16, 9:08 PM

Polish gambit accepted – Sobieski’s variationPosted on januari 20, 2015 by raskolmonikov

According to the definition, gambit is an opening move in the game of chess, the one in which a playersacrifices one or a few of his pieces in order to gain a better position. It is a kind of gift for the opponent, butthe one which causes a lot of problems for him in the long run. The initial happiness caused by gaining apawn or two often changes into a hectic search for a way to lose this excess of wealth. In most gambits’cases one pawn is sacrificed but there happen more risky gambits as well.

The list of gambits is quite long and to the most popular we can include – the royal one and the queen one(hetmański gambit). But, aside from the traditional ones, there appear also such specialities as:

– Anti-Moscow Gambit

– Basque Gambit

– Belgrade Gambit

– Budapest Gambit

– Chicago Gambit

this is how could look Sobieski’s variation, extra knights in thefirst line can create a link to usage of Husaria [1] [2]

—

Volg


2 of 10 3/21/16, 9:08 PM

– Danish Gambit

– Icelandic Gambit

– Latvian Gambit

– Leipzig Gambit

– Italian Gambit

– Portsmouth Gambit

– Portuguese Gambit

– Sicilian Gambit

– Scotch Gambit

– Slav Gambit

– Vienna Gambit

– Volga gambit

After all, the names of the gambits do not commemorate only the technical nuances of the single games butalso the names of its makers or, what seems to be most important for this thread, the nationality of the chessplayers. The ones who had the biggest impact on the analysis.

What is also interesting is the fact that there exists a Turkish gambit. To be honest, it does not involve the gameof chess directly as the Turkish gambit is a novel from 1998 written by Boris Akunin, which tells a story of theprocess of war between Russia and Turkey in 1887. And this is how even the Turks have been awarded agambit of their own.

Volg


3 of 10 3/21/16, 9:08 PM

I am not going to dwell upon him in today’s blog, even though there should appear some pieces of informationabout the Turks themselves…

It is worth mentioning the fact that there is one more gambit which was not included in the list mentioned aboveand which is very crucial for the whole case, which has not been known so far and which will see the light of dayin a second. This gambit is known on history simply by the name of the Battle of Vienna. But for me, this nameis rather shallow and thus, following this way of thinking, I will be tempted to use a more sophisticated name –Polish Gambit or rather royal-queen (królewsko-hetmański) with a variety of Sobieski, because Jan III Sobieski,apart from being a king was also the Lord Standard-Bearer [3] (Hetman koronny) of the Crown, and in this way,He had both the most important names in the game of chess and also the national ones.

The Ottoman Empire was based on its conquests since its foundation. [4] Throughout the centuries more andmore countries were invaded and conquered by the Turkish Sultanism. In the middle of XV century territorieswhich belonged to the Empire were: The Byzantine Empire, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia and Hungary. At the sametime Turkish people made the Danube Principalities, Wallachia and Moldavia, to acknowledge their supremacy.Also Polish armies had to do with Turkish strength in the battle of Cecora.

Poland, being afflicted by Russia and Sweden, could not deal with Turkish domination successfully for a longtime. Both subsequent disagreements which brought on unacceptable conditions of truces and the number ofthe enemies keep growing did not allow to feel safe. Jan III Sobieski, Hetman koronny, realised this fact. Thanksto his intervention, the battles at Chocim and with Tatar armies brought the victories over Osman armies and ledto belief of a real victory. Shortly, the Lord became the king, which made it possible for Sobieski to complete theplans of international politics of Rzeczpospolita. During his first years of the reign the king wanted to create theAnti-Turkish League. [5] As a zealous Catholic, he got financial support from Spain, Portugal and Italy togetherwith the pope Innocent XIII. However, most of the European countries did not support his idea.

Also, the rebellious actions of Michael Pac from Lithuania and the lack of agreement between Poland andFrance about Brandenburg did not make it any easier. However, the support and insistence of the popeInnocent XI and losing Kamieniec Podolski to the Turkish army was a clear sign of Polish dignity beingdecreased. The Emperor Leopold I, scared by the Turkish aggression, signed a truce which was both a kind ofattacking and resisting in style. He signed it with Poland and it made it possible to help each other and startfighting with the Turkish army without accepting peace. These conditions were more than welcoming forSobieski who realised that he had quite a lot of limitations because of not having Kamieniec Podolski, losingthree voivodships, and paying a large ransom to the Turks. However, the situation was not so clear.

Kara Mustafa’s army was even around 180 thousand soldiers, which meant that it was the biggest army used inXVII century. Charles Alexander of Lorraine’s army was 32 thousand, in which there were 18 thousand peoplefrom the battle at Vienna. The Turks were very close to winning. Out of 18 thousand men there were only 4thousand left. However, there was coming a big help from Poland. The downside to Polish army was at the time

Turkish gambit declined—

Volg


4 of 10 3/21/16, 9:08 PM

a complicated legal system, this is why the mobilization of the army was taking a long time. It is worth tomention that that the king sacrificed for the cause as he used sponsorship. Out of his private possessions hegave away around 1 million zloty to make the army bigger.[7]

Undoubtedly, however, the biggest advantage was the strength of the Polish army called the Hussars, Sobieski’s27-thousand army and 24 banners of the Hussars, which meant around 4 thousand most noble soldiers [6] whocame to help out. The battle was fought on 12th August 1683, but the decisive fight happened in the lateafternoon. Kara Mustafa, ready and confident, did not make adequate preparations to strengthen the camp.Sobieski took advantage of it and attacked the Turks with the Hussars and allied troops. Untypical armour andHussars’ tactics created panic among the Turks who started running away, which, in turn, meant the defeat ofKara Mustafa and, as a result, the end of Skanskis’ plans to overtake Vienna and all Europe. The Turks werebanished from Vienna, and thus, Christian Europe was saved from the half-moon reigns.

After the finished battle, Sobieski made a final comment by paraphrasing Caesar’s words – Venimus, vidimus,Deus Vicie.

It is worth mentioning that the Battle of Vienna was not the only battle in which Poland saved Europe’s tail, as asimilar situation occurred also in August, but in 1920. The meaning of the Battle of Warsaw – the Miracle at theVistula river – is still unappreciated both in Poland as well as in southern European countries. People forgetabout this “episode” from the years between the Wars. Luckily, some did remember about it. An Englishambassador, Lord D’Abernon said that this battle was “the 18th biggest battle in the world’s history”. A Frenchgeneral Louis Faury, in one of his articles in 1928, compared the Battle of Warsaw to the Battle of Vienna: “200years ago Poland, at the walls of Vienna, saved the Christian world from the Turkish dangers: and at the Vistulaand Danube rivers this noble nation did the civilized world a favour once again, and which was not appreciatedenough”. But, about this story, about this miracle and this version of a Polish gambit, I will write in another blogand in another post.

Venimus, vidimus, Deus Vicie! [8]—

Volg


5 of 10 3/21/16, 9:08 PM

A gambit is said to be ‘sound’ [9] if it is capable of procuring some concession from the opponent. There arethree general criteria in which a gambit is often said to be sound:

Time gain or paceGeneration of differential activity or decentralizationGeneration of positional weaknesses or destruction

Correct gambits use at least two out of the three mentioned methods of acquiring a better position. It is difficult,then, to believe the illusion that Sobieski’s interventions cannot be included in the group. Despite the fact thatthere is a so-called Polish opening in chess, there is, however, no gambit of such a name. Maybe one shouldapproach FIDE for this name to be accepted or at least for a Vienna gambit to be verified. Especially bearing inmind the fact that Jasiu Sobieski himself could play the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSw_al7ONmM

Finally, it is Worth pointing out that there is still a vivid interest in Sobieski, who, involuntarily, is reliving therenaissance of popularity of his persona, the one he could not have even after winning over the Osman Empire.And all this is thanks to:

Idea from Bruce about social networking—

Volg


6 of 10 3/21/16, 9:08 PM

Well, definitely there is no yoghurt..—

commercials in US to promote Sobieski’svodka

—

Volg


7 of 10 3/21/16, 9:08 PM

Well… Some characters are just timeless…

[1] the photo was taken in Cafe Laurierboom, an imagined game created by Monika Łojas, played against Mr.Valentijn van ‘t Riet, the scored has been never recorded, lost somewhere between the clamour of theconversations and the fog of cigarettes smoke.

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_hussars

[3] In Polish language the queen in the chess is called hetman, while the Commander can be translated toHetman as well, (Lords Standard-Bearer means Hetman Koronny- the main position in the army which was taken by the king) thus here a small game with words king-queen-hetman. In the further sentences I will useonly Polish derivation, so Dear Reader please follow the messiness of that quibble and watch out – nothing is asit seems

[4] Varvounis, Jan Sobieski: The King Who Saved Europe (2012), p 278

[5] Feliks Konieczny, Z dziejów cywilazcji, s-68, Lublin 1997

[6] J.Wimmer, Oblężenie i odsiecz, p. 83, Jan Wimmer: Odsiecz wiedeńska 1683 roku. Warszawa: Interpress,1983

[7] Jan Sobieski –krol Polski, Otto Forst de Battagla, p.196-198

[8] Jan Matejko, John III Sobieski at Vienna, 1883, Vatican Museums

[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambit

Bibliography:

Markiewicz Marek, Historia Polski 1492-1795, Kraków 2002;

From Poland with love to P-utopia—

Volg


8 of 10 3/21/16, 9:08 PM

Over raskolmonikovjust Monika, for more information just do not doubt and go ahead straightly with your questions. Briefly,live long fight with chocolate, so far.. Damn it! Let's call it a draw! What I’m doing with my life? briefly,swing it away. But if you would known what this life is doing with me in return!!! I guess, so it goes. Ihave to admit, I am really good with: - pancakes, although victims had been never found, the same forpancakes, probably I should scratch them sometimes off from the celling, - terrorizing my neighboursand tourists while singing and going into city with my bike, - making tea, well after all I am not so good,but LET'S uncover it - I am fabulous! - knowing not relevant facts - wearing the best unpaired socks, -getting lost in the new city and getting lost in well-known city, - making the same mistakes over andover, hey when I think deeper over it I guess I am quite champion with it, all the stupid things I have saidand people I've hurt in my time. I hope it's not my fate to keep defeating my own self and keeprepeating yesterday... - getting troubles with my absurd dreams, - loosing keys, mobiles, bikes, -stealing my own bikes, because of loosing keys..., - meeting random people and having small talks, -making brownie, but hey this is reserved only for good friends, so better count for some pancakesinstead of - scrabbling letters and word, or world, - sending bottles in the messages and messages inthe bottles, - watching all poor films in pathe, as I can not wait for the better one - sleeping during firstscreening; no, nothing is wrong with me, it is just dark enough and after all first film it is not so

Podhorodecki Leszek, Jan III Sobieski, Warszawa 2010;

Reychman Jan, Historia Turcji, Wrocław – Warszawa – Kraków – Gdańsk 1973;

Wereszycki Henryk, Historia Austrii, Warszawa 1972.

Wójcik Zbigniew, Historia Powszechna XVI-XVII wieku, Warszawa 2002;

Żygulski Zdzisław, Odsiecz Wiednia 1683, Kraków 1994.

SHARE THIS:

Twitter Facebook

Dit bericht werd geplaatst in Uncategorized en getagged polen en tsjechië, Russia door raskolmonikov .Bookmark de permalink [https://slavischestudies.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/polish-gambit-accepted-sobieskis-variation/] .

Like

Wees de eerste die dit leuk vindt.

GERELATEERD

Politiek kritische hedendaagsekunst in Rusland

Перекрёсток – Die KreuzungIII

Het verhaal van Borodino

In "Rusland"

Volg


9 of 10 3/21/16, 9:08 PM

important, - oke, even more, it is not j-oke, but it is good day for me so let's r-oke it and maybe later onsome kara-oke, - I am good with the deadlines, just deadlines are not good enough with me, but I likequestions and answers as well, so let's converse once or two or all stars as well. Favorite books,movies, shows, music, and food and etc. Books: - All that ever was written by Kurt Vonnegut and evermight be still published! - Hero of our times! - Dostoevsky (mostly Plaeyer, Crime & Pnishment and ofcourse Brothers Karamazov!) - Kundera - Gogol - Bulhakov - Zajdel - Zosjenko - Astrid Lindgren - AnnieM.G. Schmidt -D. Kharms movies: - Kyss mig - Equillibrum - Prestige - Silver linings - Ladri di Biciclette- VolchokBekijk alle berichten van raskolmonikov →

Volg


10 of 10 3/21/16, 9:08 PM

polish gambit accepted – sobieski’s variation | slavische studies.pdf

Documents