YORKTON - When it comes to chess, regular readers will know there are literally dozens of variants out there, some excellent, most less so, and a few historically interesting at least.
Jetan is a variant, that at least has an intriguing origin.
Jetan was invented – well I suppose maybe more accurately was sort of invented -- by author Edgar Rice Burroughs for his 1922 novel The Chessmen of Mars. I say sort of because the text regarding the game in the book have caused some discussion over the years about how the game is played.
To be fair, I doubt Burroughs was ever anticipating people playing jetan. It was likely a literary tool that he created with a basic understanding of chess so that it felt like a “martian” variant, but it is also unlikely be play-tested jetan very much, if at all, to see if it was ’playable’.
But given the success of the books it’s also not surprising there are those who have tried the game – I have made a set and even painted it orange and black to fit the theme. That said it has been played little.
That may change now though thanks to a new book.
Fredrick Ekman has penned Jetan: The Martian Chess of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and it creates a base whereby jetan becomes much more reasonable to play.
It’s about time I suppose given the game’s origin now stretches back a century, so it is safe to call jetan a historical variant too.
So Ekman’s book is timely given the game’s anniversary, and it is unique according to the publisher.
“This first-ever book on jetan explores the game’s rules in depth and provides new interpretations based on up-to-date research,” relates the page. “It chronicles the game’s history, explores tactics and variants and provides a complete standard for notating games.
“Also included are three annotated jetan playthroughs and several practice exercises.
“Over 80 diagrams and photographs are used as illustrations, and an essay about Edgar Rice Burroughs’ lifelong interest in sports and games further contextualizes the game.”
Intrigued by the project it was a natural to connect with Ekman via email to learn more about his interest in games and of course the book.
Interestingly, Ekman explained he has no formal training as a writer, except a few courses on academic writing.
“But I have spent my entire adult life writing, both professionally and as a hobby,” said Ekman who was educated in computer science and worked briefly as a programmer, but then switched to freelancing as a journalist and translator, and for the past 19 years, has worked as a language teacher.
“Much of my non-professional writing has been done for Edgar Rice Burroughs fandom, for example the ERBzine web site and the ERB-APA, an amateur press association.”
And of course Ekman likes chess.
“I love playing games, but do not have as much time for it as I would like,” said Ekman who lives in Nässjö, which is a small town in the highlands of southern Sweden.
“I guess my favourite game is chess, although there are many games that I like. Chess variants of all kinds fascinate me, but among the modern variants jetan stands out from the crowd because of its rich history and culture.”
But why a book on a somewhat obscure chess variant?
“I found that there were many misconceptions and myths about jetan, even among Burroughs fans and experienced players,” said Ekman. “I wanted to straighten things out and tell the world the truth about jetan. My truth, anyway . . .
“Writing a book on jetan was an idea that matured during a very long period, about 20-years, and even though I can point to a couple of formative moments, there was no sudden inspiration. It came to me gradually over the years.”
In fact, the exact reason to pen what is Ekman’s first book is lost to time.
“For some reason that I can no longer remember. I decided to finally realize my life-long dream of writing a book,” he said. “I tossed around some ideas, none of which had anything to do with jetan, and decided on a few that I would like to do at one time or another.
“The next day, I was reminded of jetan, and it was like being hit by lightning. There was my book!
“I thought it would have to be a very short book, and that I would have to include every piece of information, no matter how trivial. But in the end, I created a full-length book, and I cut things out because they seemed superfluous.”
The key to the book was setting the record straight on jetan, said Ekman.
“As a teacher, I naturally want to educate my readers,” he said. “Teach them about how to play jetan, about the game’s history, cultural context and influence.
“But most of all, writing is something I do for fun, so having fun while creating something that I could call my own was the primary motivation. For the most part, it has been a very rewarding process.”
So what can players expect with book?
“Since this is the first book on the topic, I wanted to be as inclusive as possible,” offered Ekman. “Some chapters are for Burroughs fans or chess history buffs, others are for the gamer who wants to learn more about tactics.
“And if jetan is not enough, there is an entire chapter all about variants of jetan.
“I hope that both the beginner and the experienced player will find something to learn from and to enjoy.”
Ekman said the various aspects of the book all have something to offer.
“I would like to think that each part has its own unique qualities,” offered the author. “It is impossible for me to pick one, and already it is apparent to me that different readers find different favourites.”
When asked what his book offers others don’t, Ekman reminded there are no other books on jetan.
“There are no other books about jetan. And there are no articles about the history of jetan, no compilations of jetan variants, very few serious treatments of jetan tactics, no published jetan problems and practically no annotated jetan games,” he said. “As far as jetan goes, this book is completely unique.
“To top it off, my chapter about Edgar Rice Burroughs’ lifelong interest in sports and games covers an area that has never been thoroughly explored before.”
As a result, Ekman is happy with what he had achieved.
“Yes, extremely. It is a great feeling to see all that hard work turned into a finished product. Also, it looks great in my book-case,” he said.
The book could find interest among more than chess variant fans too.
“I think I have two target audiences,” offered Ekman. “One is fans of pulp fiction in general and Edgar Rice Burroughs in particular.
“The other is gamers of all kinds, especially players of chess variants.
“Judging from initial reactions, both audiences seem to be happy with the results.”
As a reviewer the book is one that should be sought out by chess variant fans because of its connection to such a famed author, and for the fact somehow without a solid base, or widespread play the game has lasted for a century now. Perhaps with a foundation based on the book jetan will now gain a larger audience.
The book is available from most major online book sellers, and directly from McFarland’s web site mcfarlandbooks.com. There is both a print version and an e-book.
