The enigmatic nature of this Vasily Aksyonov story about a casual chess game between a Russian grandmaster and a chance acquaintance stems from its interwoven motifs. Allegorically, the game represents a battle between the intelligentsia (the well-travelled, Dior-wearing grandmaster) and the common people (the brutish stranger). Additionally, as the game progresses the narration is interlaced with temporal shifts where the grandmaster experiences grim visions of desolation, hiding, escape and death. As he is about to be executed in the last vision, his opponent shouts “checkmate”. Themes include Western influence on Russian culture, class struggle, memories, insecurity, fear, ‘victory’ in survival.
The grandmaster’s visions are so specific as to suggest he is reliving childhood and family trauma. The seemingly absurd ending could symbolize two things: 1) in terms of the survival motif, having valuables on hand to buy/bribe oneself out of danger; 2) in terms of the class struggle allegory, a foreshadowing of wealth redistribution should greater social equity be achieved
Victory Text / PDF (2,450 words)