Under the shadow of young girls in flower

At the gate to the Museum-estate of a long banner. Turgenev’s first chess tournament. The best chess player of the writers and the best writer of chess players dedicated. Over Spassky and Lutovinovas swung open morning and opened up the clouds: they would say the writer himself, seemed to the sky, clear and gentle as a beautiful eye.

People came running at once a lot. But we must understand that in the Saviour-Lutovinovo going in, and just like hypnosis: here the air is spicy, stringy ponds, trees tall, and the leaves are occupied drowsy chatter. And shadows move by themselves. It is not excluded that among them himself, Ivan Sergeevich.

And here’s another: old women, molodosti – everything here makes you feel like Turgenev’s girls. The enchanted place.

Among the guests one Senator, Orlovsky, Vice-Governor and even the former (sixth) President of the world chess organization FIDE. Scattered in the Park with daisies. Lucky people have already driven a coach at HOMESTEAD. Other boats on the pond. Someone had to walk up to the Apothecary garden – here in the greenhouse, seedlings of different reminiscent of the preferences of the hostess, mother of the writer Varvara Petrovna.

At the main stage Mtsensk chorus sings as the needlework embroiders incendiary. But according to Sergey Stupin, Director of the Spassky-lutovinova, another can’t miss concert: in the depths of the Park, on the edge, where the bench is on wheels and reading room under the open sky – string Quartet (came from eagle): the Beethoven sneaks to shiver. A little to the left, by the way, in the same Park – a display of landscapes by artist Giorgi Dyshlenko. Spassky’s next to the big pond of the new pavilions “Levada” – will open other horizons. And, by the way, there appeared everywhere signs, benches – months quarantine here is not in vain.

Yes, but what’s chess? But they are here for a reason.

Parting of the officials already heard on the main stage. Alas, couldn’t make it to the tournament Vice-champion Alexei Shirov is because of the pandemic, and closed borders made it out of Riga.

the Ex-President of FIDE Kirsan Ilyumzhinov says that in such a beautiful nature reserve – the place for beautiful chess combinations. This time – I want a beautiful. During the pandemic, seemed to Ilyumzhinov, the world became a little crazy: in Australia, Croatia, thinking about discrimination in the chess game all the time start white? The French propose instead of black and white chess pieces go to pink and blue. But the veteran FIDE assured that he hopes that chess is a mental all the same game in the end will help to increase the world’s share of sanity.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Orel Federation, he is the main judge Andrey Lunev, the Director (and, incidentally, the former mayor of the city of Orel) Sergey Stupin give the go-ahead has started the tournament. And this fifty-two participants from small to large, moskovskie, Orlov and Kursk, Tula and Belgorod, Lipetsk and Smolensk. Tables for them – the alley leading to the Museum the poorhouse. And in the alley near the “Wings of exile” – tables for twenty participants (here, too, there are the elderly, and child prodigies) of the simultaneous game with grandmaster Valery Chekhov.

Played everywhere. However, someone rather croquet. But while the tournament is in full swing – alone-ka by Turgenev. Where else but in his “noble nest”. There is something to discuss. Such a coincidence: the writer reminisced about chess more often – in the sixties of the last century. Just when the whole world is not worse than the current “pandemic” was shaking from the mental vacillations and lack of sanity.

In a letter to his friend Kolbasino Turgenev expressed it directly: “I took a laxative and irresistibly committed – I don’t want to say where.” And chess, and everyone here is very helpful.

In the library of the Saviour left piles of chess magazines – eschermann his notes. He was looking for a graceful opening. Life to him forever was a bird with a broken wing – and all I wanted to guess what will be in the endgame, than it will end.

That’s from the letters of those years:

* “Before lunch I go to play chess at the Cafe de la Regence and undergo frequent defeat.”

* “Playing chess, listening to good music.”

* “Go little and nothing is working: play chess”.

* “the pouring Rain from morning till evening, and the sky has the appearance of wet tyrannica. Work, by the grace of the hands stopped. As a result, life is quite monotonous – I read a lot, play chess”.

On a chess Board 64 black and white squares. He doesn’t know yet – but he will be meted out on life by coincidence 64.

the Sixties opened his novel “Fathers and children” – and ended with the novel “Smoke”. Between these two steps – a series of continuous scandals: a friendly court Goncharov friendship apart Nekrasov, afterwards quarreled with Russia, with a Thick almost fought duels – and all in a decade. It was a Royal Manifesto of the peasant liberation, a true liberal hopes like – that’s just life suddenly became gray, solid black and white squares. He met another young Bakunin, toothless, bloated and obsessed with ideas of world turmoil, and wrote under the impression of: “What a ruthless mill – life. – So people and turns into flour – you ask? – No, just rubbish.”

Turgenev began to cast their sixties, like a game of chess. In the sixty-fourth began to build his house gingerbread – house in Baden-Baden, near by Viardot. Turgenev seemed to be trying to build wonders of the scenery – despite the fact that deep down he is in the miracles did not believe.

In Baden-Baden he write “Smoke” – chess, this novel, which will cause resentment of Dostoevsky and respond in “Demons” – has a direct relationship. Two paragraphs of “Smoke” will be released Luzhin – random, fleeting character of Turgenev. His name will give many years the hero of his novel about a chess Prodigy Vladimir Nabokov. Thus the hero of “Protection of Luzhina” saritama with the main hero of Turgenev’s “Smoke”, Litvinov. He and the other sitting in a cafe on the waters in Baden. One shrugs off the annoying OS – another annoying gossip girl, “Queen wasps”. And both seem to grin. And the bride suddenly asks Luzhin from Nabokov: “So did Turgenev girl. What have I done?”

Both heroes return to their family and youth injuries. There is the most mysterious, there is first love and there in the beginning, may be the answer. To understand something and to understand themselves, the heroes have to constantly slide from reality into memories. Or to build the reality on the chessboard. Father nabakowski chess genius will be in a reminder to “Smoke” the author of the famous novel “the Frenzy”. He wants to make the son of the hero of the story “Gambit”. Wants to unravel the mystery of the son, the wall cut off from the father and from the broken world.

In the novel “Smoke” was a monologue from one of the characters, Potugin, about love and dislike of Russia – for it and against Turgenev. And by the way, this whole stream of consciousness of Potugin caused one of the geeks, young nugget-pianist. Potasinski rabies, in fact, it was only from their own inferiority. From the lack of implementation. From what he had himself – is not true.

Turgenev hero Litvinov escaped from the demonic beauty: “Gregory M…. Gregory… – he heard behind him a pleading whisper. This is the only Turgenev’s novel, whose hero has the courage to return to his angelic bride. The hero of Nabokov heard the same: “From the cold darkness, came the voice of his wife, said quietly: “the Luzhin Luzhin”. But he will find his way out – out of nowhere, out of the window.

a couple of years after the novel “Smoke” by Ivan Sergeevich has complained to the friend: “From chess I really behind the times; the last time in Paris Neiman so beat me, even pity in the audience was excited; however, it was Neumann, the strongest player after Morphy”. Gustav Neumann was the author of popular chess textbook, the winner of high-profile international tournament. Years thirty-five (he lived only 42) was crazy. And Morphy? The young American genius Paul Morphy Charles lived for 47 years. Have you stopped playing, when was thirty. The reason is the same: a severe mental illness.

All seems like Turgenev and the life met with the future nabakowski by Luginin. The novels pivotal eras, the vessels communicating. Ivan Sergeevich becomes the “real future”. His characters are torn between Badenом and Baden. Between the troublemakers and the cream of complacency. Left West, right East. “Smoke, sear it, smoke.” And chess didn’t help.

And, in 1870, he was elected Vice��-President of the first in Germany international chess tournament. In chess, as in life, everything can be calculated, but the result is always unpredictable.

And in the Saviour-Lutovinovo tournament was truly a celebration. Winner – Konstantin Bespalov from Tula shekina. The girls – Lisa Dorokhin from Belgorod. Third place was taken by the Muscovite Bazarov (not Eugene Constantine).

the Grandmaster Valery Chekhov as a PostScript he dismantled one of Turgenev’s parties. His play in a Paris cafe “Regence” with a strong Polish master Macyscom. Turgenev was won by a then still unknown elements “protection of Nimzovich”. Grandmaster Chekhov says: he played almost as a professional chess player. That Turgenev praised the victory of the Paris chess magazine “Nouvelle Regence”. Two years before death, came to Yasnaya Polyana, Ivan Sergeevich remember the same party. In the memoirs of Tolstoy’s son, Sergei Lvovich, preserved his enthusiastic story about the excited audience: “mingled with the national interest: Russian played with the pole. Thinking, Ivan Sergeevich has made the correct move, and the pole gave in. When he spoke, it seemed to me that it was beating a Patriotic flair.”

Genuine “Westerner”, Turgenev all the time, confused. Loved the gambits could sacrifice a piece. A writer in the circle of Parisian chess players called “knight of the elephant” – Le chevalier du fou. But the French le fou meant – and chess “elephant”, and “lunatic” (even “the clown” and “jester”). In a sad knight of the elephant live at the same time crafty, don Quixote? But the title of Ivan Sergeevich proud.

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What to expect in September, Spassky-Lutovinovo? After the chess tournament Director Sergei Stupin starts preparation of Turgenev’s hunting festival. Life abounds. In a good way.

Eight months ago, the Museum-estate of a new team headed by her conception of the Museum development has the promising title “the paradigm Shift, while maintaining the matrix.” What does it mean? In the near future – “Festival of the noble kitchen”, workshops, tours, involvement and cooperation with “creative group”, traveling with parents and children in “night” Turgenev times. And even restored glass beehive hanging outside the window Varvara Petrovna Turgeneva. Plans for fifty pages – and all small handwriting.