The Luzhin Defense

I watched the movie, "The Luzhin Defense" on Sunday evening. It's based on a novella by Nabokov. It's about a master chess player who is a little nutty. Well, more than a little.

I used to play chess. I studied it a lot at one time. I didn't have the natural ability with the game that some have. I think people who are good at advanced math tend to be good at chess. I bought books about chess openings and various defenses. I enjoyed the strategic nature of the game, but never got real good at it.

You find that many military leaders play chess, since it is a battle on a board. It teaches you to think ahead--anticipate what your opponent is going to do--and possible outcomes.

Politics is a chess game. Sometimes even church politics is like playing chess. You have to know who has the power--how they move--what you are willing to sacrifice to get something done, etc. 'Politics' is not a bad word, even in the church. It simply means the use of power and compromise to get (good) things done. I'm a pragmatic idealist. I adhere to the Niebuhrian realism that takes into account the need to balance powers in all group relationships. Just as each church has a 'polity,' each church has a political dimension--how sisters and brothers in Christ wield influence and make decisions. The politics of Jesus was/is the kingdom of God. Jesus affirmed that God governs--and governs in a particular way. Jesus is the way; he embodied truth; and he gave life.

The movie intrigued me. It deals not just with chess, but more so with love and obsession, and parental power, and sexual energy. The ending surprised me. But it gave me something to ponder.

In the game of life, I am a bishop... I refuse to be a pawn... and I know who the King is.