MUSIC // CHESS // MATHEMATICS // BRAIN WORKS TO CREATE MASTERPIECES //

SERGEI PROKOFIEV 

(1891 - 1953)

CHESS CAREER HIGH POINT:

["St. Petersburg, Russia"] [Date "1914.05.16"][Round "3"][Result "0-1"]

[White "Jose Raul Capablanca"] [Black "Sergei Prokofiev"] [ECO "D02"]

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 Bf5 4.Qb3 Nc6 5.Qxb7 Na5 6.Qa6 Nxc4 7.Nc3 e6 8.e4 dxe4 9.Bxc4 exf3 10.Qc6+ Nd7 11.g4 Bg6 12.Bg5 Be7 13.Bxe7 Kxe7 14.O-O-O Re8 15.h4 h5 16.gxh5 Bxh5 17.Nb5 Kf8 18.d5 Qf6 19.dxe6 Ne5 20.Qc5+ Kg8 21.exf7+ Bxf7 22.Bxf7+ Qxf7 23.Kb1 Rab8 24.Nxc7 Rbc8 25.Rc1 Re7 26.Qd6 Rexc7 27.Rxc7 Qxc7 28.Qe6+ Kh8 29.a3 Qc2+ 30.Ka1 Nd3 31.Rb1 Nxf2 32.h5 Qc6 33.Qf5 Ne4 34.Qxf3 Nd2 35.Qxc6 Rxc6 36.Rd1 Rc2 37.Rg1 Rc5 38.Rg6 Rxh5 39.Ra6 Nb3+ 40.Ka2 Ra5 41.Rxa5 Nxa5 42.b4 g5 43.Kb2 g4 0-1

Jose Raul Capablanca (1888 - 1942) World Chess Champion: 1921 - 1927

Capablanca vs Emanuel Lasker,

Havana, Cuba, 1921

[Site "Chicago, IL"] [Date
"1922"][Result "1/2-1/2"]

[White "Sergei Prokofiev"] [Black
"Edward Lasker"] [ECO "C68]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.b3 Bc5
6.Bb2 f6 7.d3 Bg4 8.Nbd2 Ne7 9.h3 Bh5 10.Qe2 Ng6 11.g3 Qe7 12.Qf1 Bxf3 13.Nxf3
O-O-O 14.Nd2 h5 15.O-O-O h4 16.gxh4 Nf4 17.Nc4 Rxh4 18.Ne3 g6 19.Ng2 Rxh3
20.Nxf4 Rxh1 21.Nxg6 Rxf1 22.Nxe7+ Bxe7 23.Rxf1 Bc5 24.Kd2 Rh8 25.Ke2 Rh2 26.c3
Kd7 27.Bc1 Rh3 28.Be3 Bxe3 29.fxe3 1/2-1/2

IM Ed Lasker was born in Kempen
(Poland) German Empire in 1885; died In NYC in 1981.
Lasker earned a university degree in
mechanical and electrical engineering from 

Technical College of Charlottenburg.
He invented a mechanical breast pump which 
served to sustain many a prematurely
born baby!

["Mont La Joli, FRANCE"][Date "1924.03.14"][Result "1-0"]
[White "Sergei Prokofiev"] [Black "Maurice Ravel"] [ECO "E30"] 

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5
Nc6 5.e3 O-O 6.Bd3 d5 7.Nge2 a5 8.Qc2 h6 9.h4 hxg5 10.hxg5 Re8 11.gxf6 Qxf6
12.O-O-O dxc4 13.Bh7+ Kf8 14.Ne4 Qe7 15.Nf4 b5 16.Rh5 e5 17.Ng6+ fxg6 18.Bxg6
Be6 19.Rdh1 Rad8 20.Rf5+ Kg8 21.Qe2 Bxf5 22.Rh8+ Kxh8 23.Qh5+ Kg8 24.Qh7+ Kf8
25.Qh8# 1-0

Joseph-Maurice Ravel, composer 1875 - 1937: famous piece: Bolero;
Piano Concerto for Left Hand in D Major;

TAKE A LOOK/LISTEN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6fMOflJMio
["Paris: Simultaneous Exhibition][Date "1933"][Result "1-0"] 
[White "Emanuel Lasker"] [Black "Sergei Prokofiev"] [ECO "C62]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 Bd7 6.Nbd2 g6 7.Qe2 Qe7 8.O-O Bg7 9.Re1 O-O
10.d5 Nb8 11.a4 a6 12.Bd3 Nh5 13.Nb3 a5 14.Be3 Bg4 15.h3 Bxf3 16.Qxf3 Nd7
17.Bb5 f5 18.exf5 Rxf5 19.Qd1 Nf4 20.Bxf4 Rxf4 21.Bxd7 Qxd7 22.Nd2 Qf5 23.Qe2
Rf8 24.f3 Bf6 25.Ne4 Bd8 26.b4 Qf7 27.Red1 axb4 28.cxb4 Qd7 29.a5 Be7 30.b5 Ra8
31.Rdb1 Rff8 32.Qc4 Kg7 33.a6 b6 34.a7 Rf7 35.Kf2 Bh4+ 36.Ke3 Rf4 37.Qc6 Qxc6
38.bxc6 Rff8 39.Kd3 h6 40.Kc4 Rfc8 41.Kb5 Bg5 42.Ka6 Be3 43.Kb7 Bc5 44.Ra2 Bd4
45.Rb3 Kf7 46.Nd2 Ke7 47.Nc4 Bc5 48.Rb5 Kd8 49.Rxc5 dxc5 50.Na3 Rxa7+ 51.Kxa7
1-0

Emanuel Lasker was an accomplished mathematician; his brother was a professor of

mathematics.

SAVIELLY TARTAKOWER VS EDWARD LASKER, NEW YORK 1924
["Paris"][Date "1934"][Result "1-0"] 

[White "Savielly Tartakower"] [Black "Sergei Prokofiev"] [ECO "C51"]   

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. a4 a6 6. Bb2 d6 7. b5 axb5 8. axb5 Rxa1 

9. Bxa1 Nb8 10.d4 f6 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Qe2 Nh6 13. Nxe5 fxe5 14. Qh5+ Kf8 15. Qxe5 Bxf2+ 

16.Ke2 Qd7 17. Rd1 Qg4+ 18. Kxf2 Nd7 19. Qxc7 Ke7 20. Nc3 Rf8+ 21. Kg1 Rd8 22. Qd6+
Ke8 23. Be6 Qh5 24. Rd5 Nf7 25. Bxd7+ Bxd7 26. Qxd7+ Rxd7 27. Rxh5 Rd2 28. Rd5
Rxc2 29. Nd1 1-0   

Maurice Delage 1879 - 1961, Paris,

composer, pianist: "Quatre Poemes Hindous" (India) (1912- 1913)

[Paris] [Date "1937"][Result "0-1"] 
[White "Maurice Delage"] [Black "Sergei Prokofiev"] [ECO "C18]

 1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+

 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 cxd4 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 Qc7 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 dxc3 12. Qd3 d4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4

14. Qxd4 Nf5 15. Qf2 Bd7 16. Bd3 Bc6 17. Rg1 O-O-O 18. Bxf5 exf5 19. g3 f6 20. Qxa7 fxe5 21. Kf2 exf4

22. Bxf4 Qxf4+ 23. gxf4 Rd2+ 24. Kf1 Bb5+ 25. Ke1 Re8+ 0-1

 

David Oistrakh 1908 - 1974 Odessa, Russian Empire; died Moscow, USSR

Renowned violinist . . . 

PRESS HERE: DAVID OISTRAKH PLAYS PROKFIEV VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 1

[Moscow]
[Date "1937"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[White "Sergei Prokofiev"]
[Black "David Oistrakh"]
[ECO "B72"]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.Be2
a6 8.Qd2 Ng4 9.Bxg4 Bxg4 10.f3 Bd7 11.Bh6 Rg8 12.Bxg7 Rxg7
13.Qh6 Kf8 14.O-O-O Nc6 15.Nxc6 bxc6 16.Rhe1 Rb8 17.e5 d5
18.Qf4 Kg8 19.Rd4 e6 20.Red1 Qb6 21.b3 Be8 22.R4d2 Qc7 23.Qe3
Qe7 24.Re1 Kh8 25.Kb2 Rg8 26.Qf4 Bd7 27.Qf6+ Qxf6 28.exf6 Rb7
29.g4 g5 30.h4 gxh4 31.Rh2 Rg6 32.Rxh4 Rxf6 33.Reh1 Kg8
34.R1h3 Kf8 35.Rxh7 Rb4 36.Ne2 e5 37.Kc3 c5 38.R7h6 d4+ 39.Kd2
Rbb6 40.Rxf6 Rxf6 41.Rh5 e4 42.fxe4 Bxg4 43.Rg5 Bf3 44.Rxc5
Bxe4 45.Nxd4 Bg2 46.a4 Ke7 47.b4 Kd7 48.Ke3 Rd6 49.b5 Rd5
50.Rxd5+ Bxd5 51.bxa6 Kc7 52.Nb5+ Kb6 53.Kd4 Bg2 54.a7 Kb7
55.Kc5 Bf3 56.c3 f6 57.Kd6 Bd1 58.a5 Be2 59.Nd4 Bf1 60.Nc6 f5
61.Ke5 Bd3 62.Kd4 Be4 63.a6+ Ka8 64.Nb4 Kxa7 65.c4 Kb6 66.c5+
Ka7 67.Ke5 Kb8 68.Nd5 Bd3 69.Nb4 Be4 70.c6 Kc7 71.a7 Bxc6
72.Nxc6 Kb7 1/2-1/2

             PRESS HERE: PROKOFIEV: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3 // YUJA WANG, PIANIST

 



                Albert Einstein (1879-1955), theoretical physicist, Nobel Laureate, Physics, 1921.
Einstein played in a string quartet/chamber group throughout his life.
["Princeton: Center for Advanced Studies"]
[Date "1933"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Albert Einstein"]
[Black "Robert Oppenheimer"]
[ECO "C70"]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Nf6 6.O-O Nxe4 7.Re1
d5 8.a4 b4 9.d3 Nc5 10.Nxe5 Ne7 11.Qf3 f6 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Nxg6
hxg6 14.Qxh8 Nxb3 15.cxb3 Qd6 16.Bh6 Kd7 17.Bxf8 Bb7 18.Qg7
Re8 19.Nd2 c5 20.Rad1 a5 21.Nc4 dxc4 22.dxc4 Qxd1 23.Rxd1+ Kc8
24.Bxe7 1-0
Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, Ph.D. physics, was head of the "Manhatten Project" to 

develop the atomic bomb during World War II and head of the Center for Advanced

Studies, at Princeton University, where Einstein spent the last years of his life.

Robert Openheimer, circa 1953

Philidor plays blindfold chess at Parsloe's Chess 

Club, London, 1780.

FRANCOIS-ANDRE DANICAN PHILIDOR 1726-1795: French composer, mathematician 

and chess player:  Famous for "l'Analyse du jeu des Echecs (1777) "Philidor Defense": 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 . .  

NM Noam Elkies, Harvard's youngest tenured professor at 26, uses chess to help

illustrate mathematical points to his undergraduate students. Dr. Elkies has also

composed an opera and other formats. Dr. Elkies is an accomplished pianist as well 

as a good opera singer, himself.  A chess master, Dr. Elkies won the World 

Composition Championship (individual) as well as on the Israeli team for the

same event.  He is on the Advisory Board of the Journal of Mathematics and Music!

He is a composer of chess problems and won the 1996 World Chess Solving 

Championship.  Bravo, Noam !

                    Professor of Mathematics, Noam Elkies, pianist

Israeli Championship Team in Chess Composition: Paz Einat, Ofer Comay, Aharon 

Hirschenson, Noam Elkies . . . 47th World Congress of Chess Composition, 

Halkidiki,Greece. 2004 . . . 

                  BCC CHESS PLAYERS: CHESS INTERFACE MUSIC

Mateos Sahakian, chess expert, pianist and piano teacher.

Brandon Wu, chess expert and violinist

Sowa Brothers

 

Ryan and Aidan: piano


Professor Jerry Williams plays black vs Aiden Sowa, BCC, Somerville 2014





Aidan Sowa plays Luis Baez, BCC, Somerville




Derek Jin, top 8 yr old in Massachusetts



Alex Jin, Derek's older brother, recently

gave a piano recital at Carnegie Hall, NYC



The mind sings with tunes of the

heart and combinations of the mind for

winning chess on the geometric grid...

[ps: How did I come upon the motivation for this

blog post, you ask?  Well, I was looking up

openings covering C62 and C68 Ruy Lopez,

for white, and I came across Prokofiev's name.

Wow, was I surprised: he beat Capablanca!]