By Daniel Messer
Glenwood Springs Library
I picked up the first volume of “Blitz” by Cédric Biscay in order to participate in Garfield County Public Library District’s Winter Reading Challenge. For the challenge, I had to read a graphic novel, and, as a chess player, the idea of a manga about chess appealed to me.
A few things about this manga really impressed me. The first is that it actually teaches you about the game of chess. The second is that it uses the stages of real games and the correct terminology. And, finally, for the fact that it features the most famous grandmaster of all time as both a character and key figure.
Biscay teaches you the basics of chess in a series of panels and explains tournament rules — like having to move a piece after touching it. He teaches you the name and role of each piece in order of importance: king, queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn. He even explains the origin of the names. For example, rook is derived from “rukh,” the Persian word for chariot.
Biscay provides visuals to explain how each piece moves, and also describes the patterns in writing. He explains the entire process from setting up the board to a player’s objective of leaving the opposing king in checkmate. And, he uses a humorous description, which references Dragon Ball Z, to explain how a pawn can be promoted. There is also a visual explanation of the chess clock and he expounds upon its importance for high-level play.
The state of actual games are shown throughout the manga in two ways. First, all of the states of play drawn in the manga can be reached through normal play. Secondly, real games are referenced.
For instance, the manga opens with Garry Kasparov facing a computer called “Kaiju 1996.” This is an obvious reference to the game between Kasparov and “Deep Blue,” played in 1996, which Kasparov won, 4-2. The next year, however, Kasparov lost, and it was the first time in history a computer became the best chess player in the world.
I mention computers specifically because an accident involving a virtual reality chess set is what puts the manga’s hero, Tom, on a path to superstardom in the world of chess.
What is a story without its characters? The most important characters in “Blitz, Volume 1” are Tom, the protagonist, Harmony, the love interest, Laurent, the rival, Jean-Marc, the mentor, and Garry Kasparov.
The arc begins with the aforementioned match against “Kaiju 96,” and then jumps to our main setting: an international school in Japan. Here we meet Harmony, the best chess player in the school, Tom, a slacker, and Laurent, Tom’s rival for Harmony’s attention. We then meet Jean-Marc at his pancake house where Tom is trying to learn chess. The first volume ends with Garry Kasparov, who has been mentioned as a chess player everyone admires, announcing a global youth tournament in order to find a protege.
I would recommend this manga not just to fans of sports manga, but to people interested in learning about chess and to regular players of the game. I went in expecting to be entertained, but I wasn’t expecting to find a series to look forward to. I found it engaging and endlessly fascinating. I am looking forward to the second volume and hope that you will join me in reading “Blitz, Volume 1.”
By the way, I run a popular chess club at the Glenwood Springs Library once a month. So, come join us some time. We meet every third Thursday, from 4 to 5pm.