About the author: Ivano E. Pollini worked as Professor of Physics at the University of Milan from 1977 until his retirement. He also worked as a Researcher at the Italian National Research Council for a period of over twenty years. He first learned the moves of chess at the age of 12 years and has continued to play ever since. Besides remaining a keen chess player, his passion for the game has led him over time to become a scholar and interpreter of the spirit of the game in all its manifestations, with particular regard to how the game’s historical, philosophical, psychological and symbolic aspects relate to everyday life. He is a member of the Academy of Chess in Milano and also started to play by correspondence by 2011.