Libre Magazine

It was a few days ago when I was offered the authorship for the fifth Libre column. The fifth column covers security issues and political strategies, which became a core of the international media due to the Russo-Georgian conflict. Then, I chose “Long Castling” as the title of the fifth column.

“Castling” is a unique movement on the game of chess. Under a special circumstance, the “king” and the “rook” (the “castle” in the 17th century England, the “chariot” elsewhere) exchange their positions. As a result, the king earns safety while the rook becomes more accessible to the center board. This “castling,” therefore, symbolizes the mobilization of chariots. Chess is a game of strategy and warfare, and the column aims to analyze and recapitulate them like chess. Of course, this column by no means “encourages” warfare.

Furthermore, “castling” was invented around the 14th or 15th century, and the European Renaissance started about the similar time period. By that time, the “queen” was introduced to chess which, in my opinion, symbolizes the gender equality (or better at least on the chess board as the “queen” is the strongest piece on chess).

Another interesting introduction in chess was the “bishop” which had been the “elephant.” Next to the “king” and “queen,” the “bishops” reside. Religion, therefore, is also an important aspect of my column as it often influences on political conflicts.

Of course, I do not forget other pieces, namely the “knight” and “pawn.” I interpret the knighthood as one way of moral conduct and an example of leadership. The “pawn” is the people, always moving forward. The “pawn” is the weakest piece on chess, but also the most creative piece as it evolves into any other pieces (except the “king” - because we do not support demagogue). This evolution reminds us the famous quote from Pascal: Man is but a reed, the weakest in the nature, but one is a thinking reed.

To cut a long story short, in order to carry out “long castling,” one needs to move the queen, bishop, and knight before the movement. In order to move them, you need to move the pawns in front of them. Hence, in order to carry out warfare, one needs to deal with social equality, religion, and leadership, while one cannot achieve anything above without thinking about the people’s advancement. This metaphor is the crystal of this column.