< THE HAGUE -- The finest minds of the Western military world have struggled for years to defeat German soldiers on a treacherous battlefield: the chessboard.For 26 years, member countries from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have competed in the ultimate game of strategy and tactics. And 22 times, the Germans triumphed. The Americans, who dominate the alliance in other ways, have mostly floundered.
"Germany always sends one or two boys who play like grandmasters," said Sandro Falbo of the Italian army. So when 82 soldiers and civilians gathered here last month for their annual battle, the usual question hung in the air: Could the German juggernaut be stopped?
The Germans had every reason to be confident. A short history of the NATO competition, written by British Sgt. Alec Toll, is replete with references to Germany's overwhelming force. 1979: "Germany once again crushed all resistance." 1988: A British player got "badly bruised, bouncing off the German wall." As NATO contestants surveyed the Berlin Wall a few weeks before the German reunification, Sgt. Toll recorded one overriding concern: "Now the German team would be even stronger!!" Chess players reserve the double exclamation point to annotate moves against which there is no defense.
But in recent years, former Soviet satellites, where the influence of the Russian chess superpower raised the level of the game, have been joining NATO, posing a new threat. This year, the Poles would gain an early advantage over the Germans, leading to a showdown on the final day.
[...]
Midway through the tournament, the Polish lead widened to a convincing 2 1/2 points, with each win worth one point and a draw half a point. Poland had to hold on to its advantage for two more days to claim the silvery trophy. Cpl. Drabke and Mr. Przedmojski quickly reached a draw in their only match.
With one round of games remaining, Germany narrowed the Polish lead to half a point. Cpl. Drabke beat Polish Capt. Saturnin Skindzier with a brilliant combination of moves. "That was so beautiful to look at," crowed Capt. Karl Koopmeiners, the leader of the German team, and gave his charge a friendly punch in the shoulder.
On the last day of the tournament, the German machine surged two points ahead of Poland for the victory. Cpl. Drabke, with six wins and one draw, won the individual prize. The Poles, who were so close to a historic upset, still were coming to grips with the loss at the awards ceremony. "It's like soccer," Capt. Skindzier said to teammates during a candlelit dinner afterward. "You play for 90 minutes, and the other side wins."
While the Poles hoped for better results next year, Cpl. Drabke joked that the game should be redefined: "64 squares, 32 pieces, and the Germans win."
<From the WSJ>>
Kibitzing
