The Chess Players
translated from Premchand's
Shatranj Ke Khiladi
by Dhanpat Rai Shrivastava
(Munshi Premchand)
Start Here
Did you know? The game of chess was invented in the 6th century AD in India as chaturanga, modelled after the four divisions of the military.
Solve the clues and complete the crossword puzzle with common chess vocabulary!
ACROSS :
1. an attack on the king.
= CHECK;
3. the colour of the piece that makes the first move.
= WHITE;
4. the piece that looks like a castle.
= ROOK;
5. the most powerful piece on the chessboard.
= KING;
DOWN :
1. the word used to declare the end of the game.
= CHECKMATE;
2. the most important piece on a chessboard.
= QUEEN;
Comprehension
Read and answer
1. Fill in the blanks with new words in the story. Clues are given in brackets.
a. Chessboard warfare involves many strategies/tactics. (particular methods used to achieve something)
b. In spite of many arguments and accusations, the two friends would soon be reconciled. (became friends again after an argument or a disagreement)
c. The political situation in the kingdom of Awadh was quickly deteriorating. (becoming worse)
d. Mirza thought Mir was quite cruel to be unmoved even after such a great calamity as the capture of their king. (an event that causes great damage)
Reference to context
2. "It was in the times of Wajid Ali Shas. Lucknow was drowned in pleasure."
a. What does this statement tell you about Wajid Ali Shah?
= This statement tells me that Wajid Ali Shah was an ineligible administrator. He was apathetic about the polity, economy and future of his kingdom which eventually led to his arrest by the British.
b. What argument did the people of Lucknow use to justify spending so much time on games and leisure?
= The people of Lucknow used to justify spending so much time on games and leisure by claiming that these games sharpens the mind, improves mental faculties and helps in solving complex problems.
c. How were the two friends, Mirza and Mir, able to play all day long?
= In the morning, after breakfast, both the friends, Mirza and Mir, would spread the chessboard, set up the pieces and engaged themselves in the tactics of chessboard warfare. Repeated message from inside that food was ready were ignored, and the cook was forced to serve food right there in the room, as the two friends continued their play.
3. "Mirza said, "The tyrants have captured Nawab sahib."
a. Who were the 'tyrants'? Who was Nawab sahib?
= The gora army of the British were the 'tyrants'.
Wajid Ali Shah was the Nawab sahib.
b. How was he captured by the tyrants?
= Nawab Wajid Ali Shah had been captured and the army was escorting him to an unknown destination at 4 O'clock. There was no commotion in the city, and no fighting. Not a drop of blood had been shed. Nowhere the king of a free country would have been captured so quietly, without any bloodshed. The king of a vast city of Lucknow was sleeping peacefully.
c. Suggest two adjectives to describe Mirza and Mir's reaction to the capture of Nawab sahib.
= Two adjectives to describe Mirza and Mir's reaction to the capture of Nawab sahib are - nonchalant and hostile.
Reflect and answer
4. Why do you think Mir and Mirza's family members were unhappy with them?
= Mir and Mirza, both were the hereditary jagirdars. They are the part of the administration of the Kingdom. They are responsible for the peace and prosperity of the subjects. But they were nonchalant about this and always engaged in the inauspicious game of chess. There was great disorder in the kingdom (of Awadh). People were being robbed in broad daylight. There was no one who cared. All the wealth from the countryside was being sucked into Lucknow. The blanket of debt to the English Company was becoming wetter and heavier every day. Because of the absence of good administration, the taxes were not being collected fully. All these reasons made Mir and Mirza's family members unhappy with them.
5. Mirza and Mir were so engrossed in their game that they would sometimes forget to eat. Give two more examples form the story that demonstrate the extent of their obsession with the game.
= One day, being disturbed by an officer of the king's army, they decided to go another place to play chess peacefully. They would leave before dawn with all the necessary things, they made their way across the river Gomti to an old deserted mosque that had been built perhaps by Asaf-ud-Daula. They would start playing. Then they would forgot the world. No other words except 'check' and 'mate' would come out of their mouth.
No yogi would be so focused in his meditations as these two. When in the afternoon, they felt hungry, they would go to an eatery and eat something, relax for a while and then restart their play. Sometimes they would forget even to eat.
When the gora army came to capture the city and captured the king, they were still engaged and busy in their game of chess. They were hardly worried about what would happen to the kingdom or how they would go home if the city is besieged.
6. Mir pushes Mirza twice by saying, "Save your own king." Why do you think the author used the game of chess and particularly this line in the story? What did he want to emphasize?
= I think the author used the game of chess and particularly this line in the story to show the contemporary scenario of the kingdom of Awadh. Irrespective of big and small, the rich and the poor - all were sunk in pleasure. From the king to the ordinary people, all were indifferent to the good of the country. There were actually the game of the British Company and the Indian rulers in that time. The British, like one king of the chess, trying to win over and establish their dominance in the Indian empire against Indian rulers, like the other opponent king of the chess.
The author wanted ti emphasise upon the fact the their own king Wajid Ali Shah is in danger. He is being captured by the British. So it is their duty to save him to save themselves as well as to save the entire kingdom.
7. Do you think Mirza was actually worried about the gora army and Nawab sahib's capture? Support your answer with evidence from the story.
= Yes, I think Mirza was actually worried about the gora army and Nawab sahib's capture. He is the first person between the two who became conscious about the advancement of the English army. He also prayed to God to be kind. He wanted to stand in a corner and watch them. He was talking about the artillery and the red faces of the army. He considered Mir to be a strange man who is still only thinking of 'check and mate' when the city was in danger. He also said that how they would go home if the city is besieged. He also called them as 'tyrants'. He could not concentrate in the game. He was thinking about the captured king. He also called Mir as a cruel man who is unmoved even after such a calamity.
8. The climax of a story is the point of highest drama and immense tension. Is the capture of Nawab sahib by the tyrants the climax of this story? Why or why not?
= Yes, the capture of Nawab sahib by the tyrants is the climax of the story.
It is only after the capture of the Nawab sahib, Mirza could not concentrate in the game. This invoked patriotism in him. He became worried again and again. Subconsciously his conscience awoke and he was feeling the hassle in his inner mind. He wanted to resist Mir to stop playing the inauspicious game and to save the king. There was the tussle of good entity and bad entity in him. That led him to argument with Mir and that emitted their personal grudge. Finally they could not control their fury against each other and killed themselves in a dual. Actually they subconsciously fought against their inner self, for not being responsible to stand with the king Wajid Ali Shah and fought against British gora army.