Chess - real or a game?

More famous in its time than any Shakespeare play was the The Game at Chess (1624) by Thomas Middleton, the man who put the spells in Macbeth. For his characters he included the living Kings of England and Spain as his white king (James 1) and black king. Doing so put him in prison (at the request of the Spanish Ambassador)and he never wrote another play, but the theatre was packed out every night until the play was banned.

Some 10 years before Arthur Saul had written 'The Famous Game of Chesse-play'. Saul had been Dr Dee's crystal ball gazer in the early 1580's until he was taken to court for demonic practices and had to change his ways, and name. He was known as 'Barnabas' Saul at first. Like Dee's next 'scryer' Edward Talbot, the 8th Earl of Shrewsbury aka Edward Kelly, Saul was an intelligence agent. Letters show that he was sent to spy on English Catholics for the British Secret Service, something 'Kelly' also did in Europe in the 1580-90's. The Head of Britain's spy service had arranged Talbot's marriage to Johane Ogle before he was sent to Europe (the same year that Kelly married his wife Johane) and he was an important agent for many years. This enigmatic man went to Burleigh's school for young aristocrats (School of Knights) with most of the men credited with writing Shakespeare's plays (Southampton, Oxford, his cousins the Rutlands etc) and he worked as a spy with another, Christopher Marlowe, until his 'death' in a house belonging to Lord Burleigh and Dee's cousin. Talbot alias Kelly had to take a new identity when Kelly also 'disappeared' in still mysterious circumstances in Europe. He took another name he jhad used earleier in his life when he got a girl into trouble and managed a play house in London. He then bided his time until he succeeded his brother to the earldom in 1618. When it was certain that his brother was about to die he had to give up his alter ego and one week before being installed as 8th Earl, William Shakespeare 'died' and was buried in Stratford (with a curse written on his grave lest anyone open the tomb - in good old Egyptian fashion). This amazing chess player did another curious disappearing trick himself two years later. He 'died' and was buried in the greatest of all the tombs at Westminster Abbey very close to Poet's Corner. He was buried the day after he died which is unheard of. The foremost Earl in the country had no funeral. Look at the likeness on his tomb and you will see Shakespeare however. The sculptor was famous for his life likenesses. He made sure that no one ever painted him, unlike his ancestors. You will have vto visit St Edmund's Chapel (where relatives of the kings are buried next to the actual monarchs there (Mary 1, Mary QOS, Elizabeth, James 1 etc) A great and still unknown Elizabethan spy.

You may well wonder how chess comes into this. Most kings at the time were addicted - James 1 was a good example. Ivan the Terrible, the Tsar, died in 1584 while playing a game and chess was banned in Russia for many years punishable by imprisonment and flogging. Other generals and kings also died during 'games'. Other places also banned the game although it was played all across the known world then to India. It had descended in stages from the Ancient Egyptian game Senet (Gaming of the Gods). The element of chance (divine intervention) was removed from the game by taking the dice away and using skill to determine the moves. This was probably to cater for the Moslem abhorrence of gambling. 'Arthur' Saul was the first man to show the chess world how to beat your opponent in 4 moves (Scholar's Mate).

This was how you could take a king and his country without an army. It is an occult game and the stakes at king level were high. Another addict, Charles 1 ,was playing chess when the Scots surrendered. But he later lost his head. And in occult circles it was believed that chess enabled this. Perhaps it can be likened in some small way to sticking pins in a doll. The first professionals appeared around 1600. Russian diplomats played their German counterparts (Frankfurt had also banned the game for a while) when the Russian ban was lifted and they were always strong at this game.

British Secret Service activities in Northern India when Kipling wrote Kim were referred to as the Great Game. They were playing Russia then around Afghanistan. So you may wonder if any of our generals are any good at the game these days. And even more intriguing is wondering how good they were when the Spanish Armada was sunk, and when the Ottoman Turks were banging on the door of Europe, or when the Russians were invaded by Napoloeon. Or you may not wonder about such things at all. I bet all of you who have played can think of 'things' that have happened as a result of certain games.

Last month I beat my partner in the 4 moves. We had not played in years and I was very lucky she did not see it coming. Her face was such a picture of incredulity that I will cherish the sight for ever. Thank you Arthur Saul.