A chess love story

By Frank “Boy” Pestaño
Chessmoso

THE year is 1454. The place is in Marostica, part of the Venetian Republic.

The main characters are Lionora, the beautiful daughter of Taddeo Parisio, lord of the manor and Rector of Marostica. Two noblemen are in love with her, Rinaldo d’ Angarano and Vieri de Vallonara – the eternal triangle.

As is the custom in those days, they agreed to fight to the death for the fair Lionora’s hand. However, the lord of the manor knew about their duel and forbade it on pain of death. He does not want her daughter to have blood on her hands.

He proposed instead that the matter would be determined by a chess match, the winner to wed Lionora and the loser to wed Oldrada, Lionora’s younger sister. Both noblemen agreed as they were both excellent chess players.

PROCLAMATION. A copy of the lord’s proclamation has been preserved up to this day, it reads: “Thus we repeat that such single, bloody duel ought in no way to take place under pain of death for the transgressors and we order instead that the challenge will be a noble game of chess and the winner will have as reward marriage with Madonna Lionora, and that such game be played on the twelfth of September 1454, upon the big square of the castle between tall and living pieces, all armed and marked with the noble colors of black and white, and said challenge be honored with a display of armored men and fireworks and public illumination and dances and music.”

At last, the special day arrived. It was Sept. 12th. All the townspeople were gathered in the courtyard to witness the match. Everything had been prepared for the event – fireworks, dancing and feasting to celebrate the betrothals of the two sisters. A specially prepared chessboard was placed on the courtyard.

A parade of chess pieces came marching in. They were people wearing black and white and led by the two noblemen.

Lionora’s expectations and excitement were at their highest as she ws secretly in love with one of the noblemen. What would she do if her sister would marry the one she loves? She could hardly bear to watch the match but she had to! So, she peeked from the window overlooking the courtyard.

Earlier, she had told a faithful servant that she would light a candle in her window if the one she loved won the match.

And the game was over. Vieri de Vallonara, playing the black pieces, was the winner. The lord presented Lionora to him and Oldrada to Rinaldo d’ Angarano. Everybody participated in the merrymaking for the rest of the evening and a candle burned in the window where Lionora had watched the game.

TRUE STORY. This is a true story. A play based upon this medieval tale is reenacted every year on the same courtyard in Marostica. A witness to the event writes, “the spectacular exhibition (first reenacted in 1954), is joined in by the neighboring townspeople and deputations from the suburbs, all in their characteristic costumes, the bands of armed men on horseback, the crossbowmen, the halberdiers, all conclude by a grand promenade around the piazza among the applauding people.”

What a sight it must be. All in the name of love.

LINARES 2005. The annual Linares tournament is sometimes called the “Wimbledon of chess,” and together with Wijk aan Zee and Dortmund are perennially the strongest tournaments of the chess calendar. Kasparov has called Linares the world championship of chess, and this year’s edition, which starts next week, is just that.

Competing are the top three players in the world: Peter Leko, who won the Wijk aan Zee tournament last month; Vishy Anand, world No.2 and the most dominant player in 2004; and world No.1 Garry Kasparov. The other participants are Michael Adams, Francisco Vallejo Pons, Veselin Topalov and current Fide champion Rustam Kasimzhanov.

Linares is in the Jaen province of Andalucia, Spain and is sponsored by the legendary Luis Rentero. Appearance fees have been reduced this year but the prizes have been increased, with $100,000 going to the champion.

TOURNAMENT. We would like to inform all Class B and C members of the Cebu Professionals and Executives Chess Association (Cepca) that we will have a special tournament on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Stella Maris Seafarer Center at Pier 4, near Supercat terminal. It will be a five-round Swiss system event. For additional information, call Jun Olis at 341-3661.

PUZZLE. Only two were able to answer our puzzle last week called the “five sisters.” One is Enzo Campomanes, a 10-year-old boy who lives at the Cebu Business Park, and is bright indeed as he claims no one helped him.

Another is Dr. Arthur Padilla Jr., an Iowa, USA-based anesthesiologist, who read this column in the Internet. He graduated from the Gullas College of Medicine in 1993 and is also a fan of my colleague Paul J. Taneo’s column.

If you would like to know the correct answers, just e-mail me.