"The composer Igor Stravinsky told an amusing anecdote about Sergei Diaghilev, the impresario of the Russian Ballet, playing draughts with Tolstoy, as follows.
Diaghilev once told me about his visit to Tolstoy to see Tolstoy's family portraits. The old man received him cordially and showed him round his gallery with a big lantern, but his only real interest in Diaghilev was as a draughts opponent. He asked Diaghilev if he played draughts and Diaghilev said he did, so terrified was he, though he had never played in his life. They played and of course Diaghilev did everything wrong. Tolstoy said: "Young man, you should have told the truth right away; now go upstairs and take tea."
Quoted in "Stravinsky in Conversation with Robert Craft."
A Pelican book published in 1962, price 7/6. (seven shillings and six pence)
Presumably, it was Russian draughts they were playing?
Hier vandaan:
http://www.usacheckers.com/forum/viewto ... 590#p10178
Mogelijk speelde Tolstoi 10x10 dammen, want in "Oorlog en Vrede" heeft hij het over situatie met 16 tegen 14 schijven (
linkje); in het russisch damspel zijn er maximaal 2x12 schijven.
