Exploring the eccentricities and breakdowns of chess legends, proving that even the greatest minds aren't immune to the pressures of the game. MONOJIT LAHIRI tracks the history of loonies who check-mated the word with their crazy moves!  

As chess reclaims global attention, it's time to revisit the remarkable yet eccentric lives of legendary grandmasters like Paul Murphy, Wilhelm Steinitz, and Alexander Alekhine. From Murphy’s meteoric rise and bizarre retirement to Steinitz’s belief in telepathic chess moves and Alekhine’s dramatic arrogance, the world of chess has been marked by extraordinary genius and unpredictable behaviour. Whether through gamesmanship or outright madness, these masters pushed both their limits and those of the game itself. Discover the hysterical stories behind some of the most brilliant yet tortured minds in chess history this season, where strategy meets the unexpected.  

Now that Chess is back rocking the world, what better time to look back on the parade of geniuses for whom the burden on the brain was often too hot to handle…with hysterical results.

Paul Murphy: The Genius Who Couldn't Handle the Heat

Considered by many to have been the greatest player in history, American Paul Murphy retired from the game after only eighteen months’ tournament play. He was twenty-one. So hard did Paul put his foot down, he even refused to speak about the game. His inner creative force in his waning years of life as a paranoid recluse, found expression in arranging women’s shoes in a semi-circle in his room, or prancing around in his veranda gaily singing in French “the little king will go away unbashed.” Obviously, this sound of music could not go on indefinitely. At the age of 47, his Gaelic ditty was forever stilled. Life checkmated him in the greatest game of all. He died in his bathtub. Apoplexy.

Wilhelm Steinitz: The Father of Modern Chess, Lost to His Own Delusions

Next in line was the acknowledged “father” of modern chess – Wilhelm Steinitz (World Champion 1886-1894). A mathematician, he suffered from the savage misconception that he could make a telephone call without either a telephone wire or receiver. As if that wasn’t enough, Wilhelm thought that he could move chess pieces at will by emitting electrical current! But the one that took the crockery was his firm belief that he was in close contact with God, with whom in a showdown chess match, he offered a pawn handicap as his first move! Again, like his glorious predecessor, this kind of chess would not go on indefinitely. He died a charity patient in 1900.

Gamesmanship and Quirks: The Peculiar World of Chess Grandmasters

Another outstanding exponent of the game was Alexander Alekhine (World Champion 1927-1935; 1937-1946). A Soviet expatriate, Alekhine was also one of the finest exponents of unadulterated arrogance. Renowned for his slashing attacks, this Nazi collaborator once wrote a series of articles condemning the Jews for “corrupting the purity of chess!” But his greatest moment was at the Polish border. Histrionics reached new hysteria when right eyebrow raised, voice suitably modulated, he declared, “I am Alekhine, chess champion of the world! I have a cat named Chess. I do not need a passport!” This crazy man also wooed bravado like a vindictive spectre. In his books, he is said to have dramatically tampered with scores to make his own game look more brilliant. A great boozer, a much-married man (five times), he is said to have once turned up at an exhibition and urinated on the floor. Obviously, this kind of urinating couldn’t go on forever. In 1946, destitute and clutching a pocket chess set, he left God’s green world. 

Then came the “Spoilt Sports.”

British Master Joseph Blachburne, furious at having lost a game to Wilhelm Steinitz, reportedly acted strongly on creative license. Grabbing hold of the father of chess, Blachburne scooped him out of his chair and hurled him out of the window! The smashing, dashing, Cuban World Champion Jose Capablanca (1921-27) was another changed man at the “receiving end.” Before losing in a match at Havana, Capablanca demanded that the organizers clear the room of all spectators! In this dubious list of chess pagals, was also world (arrogance) champion Alexander Alekhine. After snatching the title from Capablanca, Alekhine not only refused to replay but would storm out of the room, furious when so much as the Cuban’s name was mentioned! The nuttiest of them all was Latvia’s Nimzovich, who after losing a match, screamed with child-like simplicity while jumping on the table – “Why must I lose to this idiot?”

Gamesmanship of a somewhat “shady” nature was also not unknown in this great game of wiles. Much before the era of the “time-clock,” delaying in this great game of wiles was a given. Now a little time is understandable, but when someone writes a couple of chapters waiting for his opponent’s next move, it can be a bit much! And that’s exactly what a British chess player did in 1851. The name of the book: History of Civilization in England!

Crossing brains with world champion Emanuel Lasker, Steinitz was once rumoured to have slurped a glass of lemonade so noisily, that Lasker perforce moved several tables away! But Lasker himself was no saint – according to his victims. One of the greatest reasons for their doom was Lasker’s “foul-smelling” cigar. Almost unanimously, they declared its effect as “stunning”! But the greatest sting of ‘em all was U.S. Grandmaster Paul Benko pitted against U.S.S.R.’s Mikhail Tal. A former World Champion – accused of trying to hypnotize rivals with his “laser-like” gaze – Benko wore sunglasses throughout the game! Sorry baby, no risk!