When Marc Narciso sits in front of the board, the fan enjoys an epicurean experience. Marc’s devotion to chess is comparable to the love for knowledge that was breathed in the famous Greek garden, because reason guides his movements and pleasure moves the gears of the calculation that justifies them. Marc, like a modern Epicurus, opens his analysis to the amateur when he finishes his game, being that those who are willing to learn chess are welcome at his table. Such is this talent that we recently enjoyed in the IV El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament: close, with a generous heart.
Our hero has just turned half a century old and, in the analysis of his career, we see that he has often played openings and positions that are far from orthodoxy. And with remarkable success! He has been twice champion of absolute Catalonia, as well as sixth of absolute Spain. A regular in international competitions, he has participated in the Chess Olympiad (Turin, 2006) and won several tournaments. Let’s remember this interview made by Marcelo Panelo, director of El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament, after his participation in the 3rd edition of the open.
I want to share with you that the first time I saw Narciso play I got the wrong impression. It has been many years since then, but I took away a lesson that I want to share with you: Marc Narciso smiled undisguisedly during the game and I, foolish of me, thought it was because of arrogance. Over time I noticed that Marc Narciso gets a frank smile at the mere mention of the word “chess” and that, when he plays, he enjoys it like a child with a new toy. Every cell in your body loves to play-science! And it shows. A lot.
Marc Narciso’s friends know that he is a safe bet when it comes to asking for advice on chess literature. It’s like Wikipedia! It seems that he has read, in detail, all the chess books that have been published, regardless of the language. Not in vain, although he was one of the first Catalan chess players to buy a laptop computer, he travels to tournaments with a suitcase full of… Yes, you guessed it: books.
A precocious teacher
Marc, in addition to being a brilliant player, is a reputable base coach. Not surprisingly, he manages to transmit his enthusiasm to his students. What not many people know is that his progression was asymmetrical: he got the title of Catalan master at a precocious age and, when he prepared himself to make the leap to international master, having the level to do so, there was always something that hindered him and the qualification took much longer than expected. Too much. However, he then obtained the three grandmaster standards at the drop of a hat, much to the delight of his admirers.
One of Narcissus’ qualities is his natural inclination to philosophical thinking. He likes to reason about the human condition, especially if (indeed, guess again) the subject is related to chess. I remember when, on a certain occasion, I asked him about the difference between the way of articulating thought between the club player and the grandmaster. His answer, over the years, still seems pertinent to me: “In absolute terms many amateurs think more than grandmasters during the game. The difference is that the grandmaster KNOWS what to think about.” I gave the matter a lot of thought, because they are words that frighten and isolate us, knowing that that little nuance is a universe, because most of us are like mice in a maze with nowhere to go, banging against bulletproof glass walls with the calculation of variants. Marc, of course, was right.
You can enjoy, below, a vibrant tactical feast by Marc Narciso.
By Jorge I. Aguadero Casado, editor-in-chief of Peón de Rey.
