The Great Composer Quiz – July 2, 2020
Time’s up, pencils down. The Great Composer who was an extraordinary chess master, having even defeated the reigning world chess champion three times in non-title matches. While in Paris, our Great Composer met another Great Composer who fashioned himself to be a good chess player. Inevitably, they played, and our Great Composer won in 25 moves using the Nimzo-Indian defense, Leningrad Variation.
The answer is Sergei Prokofiev, who defeated Cuban Chess Master Jose Raul Capablanca, in St. Petersburg, May 11, 13 and 15, 1914, and later slammed Ravel in 25 moves. Where it came to chess, Prokofiev was aggressive and strong-minded. Ravel tended to dodge.