Not just a game of strategy

For a game that originated in 6th century India before moving to Persia (Iran) and then finally finding its footing in Spain thanks in large part to the spread of Islam, chess is taken very seriously in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Literally - and politically, but more of that in a separate post…

I had only vaguely heard about large open-air chessboards being played out in the public parks in Sarajevo before I arrived. Truth be told, up until a month before we drove there (me, my wife and our dog!) from the Netherlands, the main things I knew about Sarajevo was the assassination of Archduke Frank Ferdinand which kicked off WW1, the siege of the city in the early to mid 90's, and U2's song and subsequent concert in September '97.

It’s a city packed full of history. Much of it intertwined with wars, conflict and the clashing of east and west. Christendom versus Islam. Empires vying for supremacy.

Indeed, not just Sarajevo itself but the region. The Balkans. What used to be Yugoslavia in large part, before resulting in ethnic fighting, war crimes and genocide. NATO failings and the Srebrenica genocide, 30 years ago virtually to the day of my writing this, still haunts the Dutch nation.

Although I'd never been there, I felt a "connection". The Good Friday Agreement, seeking to end the troubles in Northern Ireland was signed just 3 years after the framework for Bosnian peace, the Dayton Agreement. Religious sectarianism was rife in both conflicts and I'd seen enough of the immediate post-conflict realities in Iraq to know that absence of violence and war does not mean peace.

I felt that time had come for me to colour in the blank on my own map and take a visit.

Robert D Kaplan's book “Balkan Ghosts” gives a thorough overview of the region. Although geographically much wider than my intended initial foray, it demonstrated to me the complexities of the region which, unsurprisingly after having read the book, still rumble on to this day.

Chess.

I rumbled onto an intense match between some local champions, watched on eagerly by a disapproving, gesture waving, chain smoking men-only group. I tried to initiate some conversations anxious that my camera wouldn't give another reason for two finger gestures - or worse.

Language was a barrier with most due to my incompetence with the Bosnian language. Most - but not all. Turned out that the man I had initially discounted as a hard-of-hearing, frowning know-it-all Gary Kasparov wannabee, spoke English. Not only that but he had been to the Netherlands. And, indeed, not only, but to the city nearest to where I live.

Nigh on 25 years ago.

After the war had finished, a Dutch charity / NGO organised for a group of children to temporarily gain some respite from living in a post-war-torn city and enjoy a summer camp full of games, activities and post-trauma psychosocial support. During that trip, it was his birthday. It was the first time anyone outside his immediate family had celebrated his birthday, understandable given the nearly 4 year seige of Sarajevo when he was just a boy.

Despite him suffering some mental and physical disabilities to this day caused by the fighting and siege of the city, he still recalls his birthday celebration that Dutch summer day, as one of the highlights of his tough life.

And is happy to recall it, to anyone that listens...

Chess.

Not just a game of strategy, but a lesson that decisions, moves and actions you take today may have life impacting outcomes years away.

Whoever crosses your chessboard of life.