We decided to meet Giuseppe ahead of one of his Lisbon Gambits. This evening’s gathering is taking place at Malabarista Cafe in Anjos.
Giuseppe arrives with a rucksack which is filled with chess boards and pieces of all varieties. One of the boards stands out from the rest. It is wooden and has a more rustic quality. As it turns out, the board has an emotional connection with Giuseppe, “It is the board I learned to play on with my father. I was just a kid when he taught me how to play. I became hooked. I think most people learn how to play from their fathers.”
Lisbon Gambit gatherings are usually relaxed affairs, “We drink, we network, we play chess,” says Giuseppe. ”But tonight is different. Tonight is a tournament. Our 14th tournament. There will be a winner and a loser.”
Giuseppe’s club has members from all over the world. “We have Portuguese of course, but we have people from Bangladesh, from Chile, from China…from every corner.”
A gentleman’s and women’s game
“There is a very good American and an Irish guy. But the best is probably a Portuguese girl. Although she still has not won a tournament here.”
Despite the Portuguese girl being the best at the club, Giuseppe admits that getting women to play can be tricky. “We really would like to see more girls play. We’ve even started to have girls-only nights to encourage it. But it’s hard.”
With some time to spare, we go for a walk with Giuseppe in the neighborhood around the Malabarista. “I used to come to Portugal to go on hikes. I love the fisherman’s trail in Alentejo. And then I just wanted a change in life so I decided to search for a job here in the green economy. When I found the job I wanted, I came here.”
Giuseppe is happy with the move. “I love the city, the weather and the people.”
Despite that Giuseppe admits he has not studied the language. “It’s too difficult. Being Italian and knowing Spanish, when you want to incorporate Portuguese it’s super difficult. There are too many false friends. It’s very confusing.”
We step into an Italian tasca called ‘A Paranza.’ “This place is very nice. They cook very well.” The owners politely allowed us to set up a chess board for an impromptu game with Giuseppe.
“We always shake hands before starting a game. In official tournaments, you can be disqualified for not shaking hands. It’s a gentleman’s game.”
Who plays better?
We begin a game and we realize quickly that it will not last long. “I’m an aggressive player,” says Giuseppe. “That doesn’t mean I’m strong, but I do like to have the initiative. I also like what is called ‘the romantic chess.’ That is where you throw away and sacrifice pieces in favor of putting yourself in a better position.”
Soon Giuseppe has all the initiative over us. He makes some suggestions. “You could try to play for a stalemate. That is where nobody wins. But my advice would be to resign,” he says with an evil chuckle.
We are stubborn and play on. But within moments it’s checkmate. Game over. With us crestfallen, it’s time for us to go back to the cafe for the evening’s Lisbon Gambit tournament.
When we return there are already people congregating outside eager to get in. “They are impatient to play,” says Giuseppe proudly.
As Giuseppe sets up the boards for the evening we take notice of the different types of people that arrive. It is quite a variety. Young and old, male and female. There are players of the more nerdy variety. There is a player that reminds us of young John Travolta – good-looking and beefy. Perhaps not the type you would imagine in the setting. There are players who drink coffee and there are players who drink beer. A lot of beer.
The vibe is good, and by 7 p.m. the cafe is packed and buzzing with anticipation. Giuseppe becomes a master of ceremonies as he outlines the plan for the evening ahead. “Shush everybody,” he appeals constantly for silence. “I am going to announce the pairings for the first round… Ricardo v Miguel, Bianca v Tiago, Yad v Eduardo, Johanna v Salvador…”
With handshakes happening all over the room Giuseppe announces “You can start. Let’s go!”
One piece of advice
We notice that all the tables are using an app on their phones for timekeeping, with each player tapping the app after every move. It seems quite clever to us.
Some players are seated, some are standing, and some are squatting. Some players are shaking their legs with nervous anxiety, and some have their heads in their hands, locked in thought. “It’s intense,” says Giuseppe. “But it’s only round one. It will get even more intense.”
Between rounds, players gather outside to smoke cigarettes and analyze where they went wrong in their games. One player is annoyed. “After a while, I see no options. I see nothing. I have no patience for it,” he says. Another player offers supportive advice, “Don’t sacrifice pieces. You don’t see any path if you sacrifice pieces.”
As the rounds go by, passers by look in the window curiously. Some can be overheard dismissing it as a gathering of nerds, but others are more interested. One German girl passes by with a pizza box. She stops and watches. Instead of going home to eat her pizza, she starts chatting with one of the players outside. The girl ends up staying for the evening, enjoying the banter. We think she has taken a shine to the player she is talking to, or maybe they have taken a shine to her, we can’t be sure.
As the tournament comes to an end players gather around to watch a game which holds grand significance to the overall outcome. Who will come out on top? The sounds of pieces moving, clicking and clacking circulate the room. When players are defeated they react differently. Some seem unphased, others pound the table.
The night comes to an end with Giuseppe awarding the winner a Lisbon Gambit t-shirt. The winner tonight is “Eoin! The Irish guy.”
“Come on you boys in green,” says Eoin triumphantly.
Before we leave Giuseppe, and with the cafe still an atmosphere, we ask him for one piece of chess wisdom.
“One piece of advice,” he ponders.
“Ask yourself why your opponent makes their move…. every move.”
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