At first sight it is very surprising that there is so much research on chess and music. Undoubtedly it is music that most resembles chess and there have been number of people who have excelled at both. Prokofiev was a keen chess player, while Taimanov is a concert pianist.

We have another example in Francois – Andre Philidor, a great writer of opera and a really strong chess player. When he went to Paris in 1740 he made more money by playing chess then composing music. That many chess players became great musicians or conversely that many musicians became great chess players is telling us something. I think that one helps to develop knowledge in another. Only mathematics is more closely connected with chess than music. Strange but true.

As a musician I couldn’t find anything in chess that could be compared with music or even visual arts. But after I did some research I realized that there are many similarities.

Chess touches and intersects with visual arts and music at many points and in many ways. The most immediate point of contact between chess and visual arts lies in the chess sets themselves. A well designed set is a beautiful object and we enjoy looking at it. Chess sets like other human artifacts carry with them various overtones which add extra depth to the pleasure we take in their appearance.

As well as chess pieces being used as art objects, they also can be used as decorative objects. A game itself can be used as a focus for some kinds of human emotions. If you want to show the character and feelings of a people in a situation of conflict and melancholy music, painting, or chess is an excellent way of doing it. The perfect example is Ballet “Checkmate” (by Sir Arthur Bliss).

In ballet Checkmate red and black represent love and death. In a hopeless struggle, the Red King is stripped of all his defenders and is finally struck down by the Black Queen. At one moment in the game, the Red Knight has the Black Queen at his mercy but it is overcome by her beauty and cannot kill her.

When we think about music we automatically think of a universal language, not only because musicians all over the world study music, notes etc., but also because of it’s endurance over time. I strongly believe that music is a way to communicate with people around the world who have different backgrounds and cultures. Chess players have the same opportunity. They also travel all over the world playing in tournaments. The only difference is that the chess is a game of weapons and the goal is to bypass or eliminate the opponent’s weapons and carry the day by hitting him where it hurts the most. In chess the weapons are the pieces and each of them has a specific use. At this point we see differences between chess and music. Usually we turn on music when we want to relax. Actually I think it’s a relative thing. It really depends how though a chess game is and in terms of music it depends on what kind of piece we are listening to (romantic or dramatic). By talking with some chess players I learned that many of them like to listen Bach while the analyzing a game. One person told me that classical music helps him to concentrate and stimulates the mind, and chess requires a lot of concentration. He also said that listening to a very “deep” classical music doesn’t work because then you get into the music, and can’t concentrate properly. Of course we have to touch on the discussion of “is chess a logical game, or is it an artistic or creative one?” If chess is an artistic activity, then music should only disturb your creative thoughts and therefore, make you play poorly, because you’ll have you right side of the brain only focusing on the music creativity and not be able to think about chess game. I think it’s depends on the individual.

Josh Waitzkin (International Chess Master From New York) talks about how he could feel emotions during the game.When he plays he begins to hear the music in his head. Dueling with rooks or a king and a rook He hears the Star Wars Episode 1 fight song, when Obi Wan and Qui-gon duel Darth Maul. While the game develops he hears Beethoven, Fur Elise or perhaps the Moonlight Sonata. Often he hears not only classical but also some smooth jazz or something of that sort.

Objectively, a game of chess looks very much like a pen –and-ink drawing, with the differences, however, that the chess player paints with black and white forms already prepared instead of inventing forms as does the artist. The chess board has apparently no visual aesthetic value, more like a score for music which can be played again and again. Beauty in chess does not seem to be a visual experience like we can see in painting and music. Beauty in chess is much closer to beauty in poetry: chess pieces are the alphabet which shapes the thoughts and these thoughts express their beauty like a poem.

From my close contacts with artists and chess players I have come to the personal conclusion that while all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists. But, to be honest it doesn’t surprise me at all.

Now let’s move to reality for a little while. Life, Music, Art and Chess. Which one is the most comparable to the every day life? The idea that chess equals life is not new. The descriptions of the game can be applied to any aspect of our lives. To me all of them are somehow combined with our lives (especially with our emotions that are different maybe every a couple of hours).

Psychologists believe chess speaks not only to our love of aggression and competition, but it also teaches you how to be organized. Above all it teaches you to escape from the most dangerous and complicated situation.

I have been playing the piano for more then sixteen years and I really enjoy playing and studying music. Music is and will always be a part of me. But I also regretted the fact that I never learned to play chess, because I am positive that it would help me to develop my skills in music. As I said knowledge and skill in one would help you to develop knowledge and skill in the other.