Chess in Kabul
By Frans M. Hoynck van Papendrecht
Boy Frank, who works at the Dutch Embassy in Kabul, happens to be a member
of Hollands oldest chess club. The Royal Dutch Chess Society "Discendo
Discimus" in The Hague was founded in the year 1852 and is one
of the cradles of FIDE. The former president of Discendo Discimus, Alexander
Rueb, was also one of the founders FIDE, and from 1924 untill 1938 FIDE's first
administration resided in the mansion ("Het Nationaal Schaakgebouw")
that is still premises of Discendo Discimus. Players like Emanual Lasker, Alexander
Aljechin, Max Euwe and others played over there. David Bronstein is still an
honorary member of Discendo Discimus.
Why do I tell all this. For instance because last week I shipped Discendo
Discimus's famous antique 'gong' (a chime from 1932, that is) to Kabul. Its
sound was known to the ears of World Champions, famous grandmasters from history
and the founders of FIDE. Therefore it should be used (as a symbol) at the re-start
of organized chess in Afghanistan.
Chess stamps from pre-Taliban Afghanistan
As you might know our beloved game was "indexed" by the Taliban,
that thought it was a devils game. But probably the main reason for the prohibition
of chess was that they didn't like intellectuals to have an excuse for joining
together.
As a chess player and member of the Dutch diplomatic service Boy Frank got
our Foreign Affairs department ready to sponsor the "resurrection"
of organized chess in Afghanistan. Because this also has a social purpose, to
revive normal everyday life over there and to stimulate the emancipation of
(Islamic) women. On a daily basis they can now join together with men (!) at
the chessboard. So the project takes two barricades in one!
Only two years ago the picture shown in the photos below (made by Mrs. Judy
Vermeulen also from our diplomatic service) were absolutely unthinkable
in Kabul.
At the end of this month a chess tournament will be held in Kabul, organized
by the Dutch Embassy. Within three weeks nearly 300 men and women have registered.
My role and that of Van
Stockum Booksellers (founded 200 years ago and since a few decades also
the best chess shop in Holland) is that of a consultant and business partner.
We provide the project in Kabul with all they need at the moment, playing materials,
a basic library, software and, last but not least, advise and contacts (for
instance to have the Afghanistan on the list of regular FIDE-members a.s.a.p.).
See also the previous ChessBase article: Chess
comes back to Afghanistan
Picture gallery
Chess encounters on the grounds of the Dutch Embassy
Afghani women enjoying a game
A Kabul women's chess team
Introducing the chess project
... to an enthusiastic audience
Afghani girls at the start of an interesting game
The menfolk analyse in the gardens
Something we haven't seen in years: women publicly engaged in intellectual activities
in Kabul. This is indeed the dawn of a new era for the much-suffering people
of Afghanistan.