The Proper Way to Play Chess

Motzoei Shabbos Story: During his stay in the Austrian resort town of Perchtoldsdorf for his health, the Rebbe Rayatz played chess and once realized something was off about the game. Full Story

May 21, 2022 – 20 Iyyar 5782

Motzoei Shabbos Story: During his stay in the Austrian resort town of Perchtoldsdorf for his health, the Rebbe Rayatz played chess and once realized something was off about the game. Full Story

By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and Hasidic Archives

In 1937, Rebbe Rayatz was advised by his doctors to spend some time in Perchtoldsdorf, Austria, a vacation town with good air and comfortable accommodations.

The doctors also stipulated that he refrain from intense use of his intellect, as it aggravated his condition.

Thus, his son-in-law Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson traveled from Paris, where he and his wife resided at the time, to join him in Perchtoldsdorf. From there, Rabbi Menachem Mendel assisted his father-in-law in his activities.

Barred even from his daily routine of Torah study, the Rebbe Rayatz also spent time playing chess with his entourage.

During one such game, the Rebbe Rayatz realized that his son-in-law was deliberately playing to lose.

“We should play honestly,” the Rebbe Rayatz told him.

Find Hasidic Archives latest books on HasidicArchives.com Story Bites: Short Stories to Savor and Dear Rebbe: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson corresponds with a singer, a writer, a sculptor & a Holocaust survivor, also available on Amazon Prime.