Have you heard of this painting?

[stkelly52]

I remember seeing a painting once of a man playing chess with the devil. The man had only one or two pieces left on the table, and the devil had him either mated, or on the verge of being mated. The man looked very distressed. Years later a chess master looked at the painting and declared that it was a lie, the devil had lost the match. Does anyone remember this painting and know the name of it?

[Estragon]

Paulo Boi and the Devil...

more of a story and a chess problem. It can be found here: http://www.cowderoy.com/graphics/boi.htm

ps, hope this is what you are looking for...

love,
S.

[Fiver]

Someone verify my solution here:

White moves A5-D5.
(Black makes any legal move; it doesn't matter.)
White moves C4-D4, taking the knight. Checkmate.

[jcgmoi]

Originally posted by Five
Someone verify my solution here:

White moves A5-D5.
(Black makes any legal move; it doesn't matter.)
White moves C4-D4, taking the knight. Checkmate.

Nope. 1. Rd5 fails to pxR or N moves.

Try 1. Nb5 threatening RxN mate.

If ...N moves 2. Nc3 mate.

If ...Rf4 2. Nd6 mate.

If ...Kd5 2. Nc3 mate.

[CalMeacham]

In their infamous "Death" issue from thirty years ago (Cover:"Buy this issue or we'll shoot this dog!") National Lampoon had a hilarious one-page ad for a book: "Bobby Fischer Teaches You How To Beat Death at Chess". It showed a mocked-up photo of a triumphant Bobby Fischer playing Death in that svene from "The Seventh Seal". I know everyone and his brother has parodied Seventh Seal, but Fischer was particularly hot at the time, and the parody was beautiful.

[stkelly52]

Actually that wasn't the one I was looking for. After doing some more searches (Using Google, thanks to the other thread) I have found out that this painting is supposed to be named Checkmate, and one site says that is is at the Louvre. The story behind it is supposedly:

from: http://www.maidenlane.org/2000sermons/april%2023,%202000%20transcript.htm"Lloyd John Ogilvie, chaplain of the U.S. Senate, tells the true story of a visitor to the famous Louvre Museum in Paris. One of the many famous paintings displayed there is a painting of the devil and Faust engaged in a chess match. Faust was a 16th century German doctor who performed magic and died under mysterious circumstances. According to the legend that surrounds him, he supposedly sold his soul to the devil for youth, knowledge and magical powers.

Anyway, the painting shows the devil and Faust engaged in a chess match. For years tourists have looked sadly at the painting understanding the artist’s message. By looking at the chessboard they could see Faust’s hopeless situation. He’d been checkmated, and the devil’s sneering smile only underscores the artist’s perspective of life that evil always triumphs.

But one day a tourist to the museum stood in front of the painting a long time studying the location of the chess pieces on the board. All at once the visitor shouted, "It’s a lie! It’s a lie! Faust still has a move!"

I still couldn't find the author, of a reliable source on the location of the painting and truth of the story.

[BornDodgy]

The Faust story is pretty cool.. somewhat..

It is originally from the 15th century if I remember right - called the "Volksbuch des Dr. Faustus" - it is about this guy who just wants to learn learn learn - and when there is nobody left to teach him the devil turns up and promises him to do everything he wants - but he will get his soul. In the end he gets the soul of course.

When Goethe wrote his Faust books - which are about the same thing - he changed it a bit: Faust insists that the devil only gets his soul the moment Faust is completely content and says "stay moment - you are so beautiful!" or something like that. At the end he is able to get his soul back. So Faust wins over the devil in the end in this version

dodgy

[Kyberneticist]

I remember reading that in a book of several thousand pastoral illustrations years ago.
Many of the annecdotes in the book used urban legends or faulty science, so I wouldn't be surprised if the chess drawing and story linked earlier in this thread was modified to make it sound cooler and more Christian(instead of player extricating himself Chris^H^H^H^H^HChess Master does it for him).

Just a guess though, searching on Google right now...