[blind-chess] THE ROLE OF JOHN J. PERSHING AND CHESS DIPLOMACY
- From: Eddyz69@xxxxxxx
- To: blind-chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:11:45 -0500 (EST)
John J. Pershing is special to chess history, although few people know of
the occasion when Pershing used the game
of chess to negotiate peace treaties
with Moro tribesmen of the Phillipines.
Spain had ceded the Phillipines to the U.S. following the Spanish-American
War of 1898, where Lieutenant Pershing
had led the Tenth Calvary, a black troop.
The dismounted Tenth excelled in the attack up San Juan Hill, in which
Pershing, cool under withering fire, led his
troops.
Transferred after to the Phillipines as a Lieutenant, Pershing committed
himself to educating himself to the
situation. Many in the American military and
state department viewed the Moros as barbaric. For certain, they were a
warrior people who honored bravery with
respect. They were also Muslim, and polygamous.
Their culture had been connected to Mecca since the 13th Century. The
Moros hated Christians, and especially
Christian Filipinos. Ferdinand Magellan had
raised the Spanish flag over the Phillipines in 1521. Hostilities had
existed ever since. Three hundred years of
Spanish colonization had left little that
could be called modern.
The American Army had mostly been restricted to a "Coastwise Colonization."
Little contact with the interior had
been ventured. A military governor was
appointed, but the Moros had practiced slavery, piracy and banditry for
centuries. The Moro mind was a different
world from that of the American military.
In Moro culture, (1) things written, would be, and (2) Infidels and their
doings were irrelevent. With such a
mindset both the colonial regulations and
military officers would be flouted. Moros would simply refuse to
acknowledge the power held by the infidel. With
such extreme polarization of culture,
Pershing realized that there would be massive bloodletting if working
relationships with Moro tribes were not
developed.
What the American military ceded as merely a problem of suppression of the
"Insurrectos," Pershing saw as a human
problem. The Moros reminded him of the
Apache and Sioux warriors of the American continent. Ever the
professional, Pershing began educating himself in Moro
culture. He studied Moro language
and customs. He read the Koran. Moros of different tribes and regions were
led by a headman called a "Datto." If
religious taboos could be by-passed, Pershing
held some hope for relationships of trust. Pershing learned that the Moros
played chess.
Pershing walked into the center of a virtually deserted Moro village and
set up a chess board. After a wait, the
Muslim headman appeared, willing to play
a game. Over the course of hours, a mutual respect was developed, the
opponents learning much of each other. By this
method, Lieutenant Pershing was able
to establish relationships of understanding with many Moro headmen, and
treaties often formed, saving many lives on
both sides. For his success, Pershing
was promoted to permanent captain in 1901. In 1903, President Roosevelt
addressed the U.S. Congress, naming Pershing
as an officer deserving promotion
on merit.
The Denver Chess Club used to meet at the VFW at 9th & Bannock Streets,
where a small museum was kept on the first
floor, dedicated to the Colorado volunteers
in the Phillipine campaign. This was the very first Veterans of Foreign
Wars chartered in the continental United
States, VFW POST #1. There were swords,
ammo displays, pictures, and Moro weapons. I do not think any of us made
the connection at that time, between our
chess play in Denver, Colorado and the
winning chess diplomacy of John J. Pershing.
In Denver Colorado, the Adams City High School Chess Coach, Larry Grohn, a
social studies teacher, will not be in
bed before midnight on Tuesday, because
he drives his students to the Denver Chess Club's Tuesday night meeting.
It is the best way to acquaint his students
with strong competition. The next
morning, Larry Grohn must teach school again. He needs chess clocks and
equipment, for which there is no funding;
but Larry Grohn prevails through sheer
determination. His dream is to give his players a chance in life, a chance
which might be found through the lessons
of chess.
To the extent that David Shenk can make the world more aware of the
satisfaction to be found in chess, of the
friendships to be made, of the rewards of
developing mind and soul, we shall all be much in his debt. Many people
could handle life better, I think, if only
they had developed only a little of
the qualities of character that chess teaches; how to handle confict, how
to think 'out-of-the-box' and how to
develop a genuine respect for those who
seem to oppose us in daily life. Indeed, there is an ancient maxim: THINE
ADVERSARY IS BECOME THINE INSTRUCTOR.
Chess is, dollar for dollar, one of the most affordable of all pastimes. It
brings people together in bonds of
friendship. It can teach deep lessons about
life and mankind. It can free us from worry and care, and assuage the
feeling of being alone and 'not-fitting-in'.
It is a most excellent stepping stone
to connecting to the basics of life, in a world where many people are
utterly bereft, not knowing which way to turn
or where to go.
Most importantly though, people need to get rid of the delusional notion
that the game is only about "winning."
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