“I have to say, it is surreal to see the viral moment that chess is having right now, and I hope that the success of The Queen’s Gambit helps to popularise the game, especially for young girls,” added Corke Allen, the youngest-ever US-born female grandmaster who has also represented England in international competitions.
「我9歲開始下西洋棋，13歲贏得第一個『公開賽』冠軍，所以對貝絲的故事的那方面是有共鳴的。」生於加州、長於香港的柯姬·艾倫這樣說。她14歲晉身國手行列，2004至2008年間在香港贏得四項冠軍殊榮。
「不得不說，看見西洋棋現在爆紅，感覺其實不太真實。我希望《后翼棄兵》有助推廣這種運動，尤其是吸引年輕女孩們參與。」柯姬·艾倫是在美國出生的女性國手中歷來最年輕的一位，也曾經代表英國出戰國際棋賽。
Corke Allen can relate to some aspects of the fictional Beth Harmon’s life, particularly the feelings of alienation when playing in tournaments against men – some of whom resented her presence.
“I relate to being the odd one out in a male-dominated space. Many of the men I encountered were gracious and sportsmanlike, but I was also often underestimated, and I’ve dealt with my fair share of shocked and irate male opponents who were more upset about losing to a girl than about the loss itself.
「我對於在一個男性主導的空間裡身為異類的事情感同身受，很多我遇到過的男性對手都是親切有禮又具有體育精神的，不過，我也經常被低估，並且面對過感到震驚甚至震怒的男性對手；比起輸掉一場棋賽本身，他們更不甘心輸給一個女孩。」
Corke Allen discovered chess by accident. Bored at home, she started rummaging through the contents of a cupboard and among board games such as draughts, backgammon and Connect 4 she found a dusty old chess set.
“Something about the shape of the wooden pieces piqued my interest,” said the 30-year-old Corke Allen. “I asked my dad to teach me how to play and began playing matches with my mum. About a month later, I saw a flier for the school chess club and immediately signed up, and things snowballed quickly from there.”
pique (v.) = kindle = 燃起；激發
snowball (v.) = 像滾雪球一樣暴漲、擴大規模
柯姬·艾倫最初是意外發現西洋棋天資的。當時在家裡無聊，她就打開櫥櫃胡亂翻找，從西洋跳棋、雙陸棋跟屏風式四子棋等等的棋類遊戲當中，她找到了一副塵封、老舊的西洋棋。
「那些木質棋子的形狀激起了我的興趣。」現年30歲的柯姬·艾倫說。「我請爸爸教我怎麼下，並且開始跟媽媽對戰。差不多一個月後，我在學校看見一張西洋棋藝社的傳單，馬上報名，然後棋藝就開始像滾雪球一樣突飛猛進了。」
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Like Harmon, Corke Allen was a natural, though she did not play imaginary games on her bedroom ceiling. She would win every game at her Kennedy Primary School chess club in Hong Kong and triumphed in age-group competitions.
Her parents supported her chess endeavours and with her father, an enthusiastic amateur player in his youth, they would play and study chess books together. A student from West Island Secondary School visited her chess club and saw her potential. He gave her lessons, which she said speeded up her progress, and soon she was competing in international tournaments and training with professional players in Russia and Eastern Europe.
The game became Corke Allen’s life and while other teenagers enjoyed a party lifestyle, she dedicated herself to the 64 squares on the chess board. Like Harmon, Allan missed a lot of school but continued her academic education on the road through self-study.
endeavour (n.) = an attempt to do something or to explore something = 努力；探求
雖然柯姬·艾倫並沒有幻想在睡房的天花板下棋，不過她也像哈蒙一樣是個天才。她在堅尼地小學（譯註：全年學費約NTD 45萬的貴族國際學校）的西洋棋藝社裡戰無不勝，在棋賽的年齡組別裡也是凱旋而歸。
父母支持她發展對西洋棋的探索，年少時曾經是熱心業餘棋手的父親也會跟她對戰，又一起研究西洋棋書籍。後來一位西島中學（譯註：全年學費約NTD 50萬的貴族國際學校）的學生造訪她的棋藝社，發現了她的潛力，並且給她上課、加速了她棋藝上的進步，沒多久，她就參加國際錦標賽，並且跟職業棋手們在俄羅斯及東歐接受訓練。
西洋棋運動成為了柯姬·艾倫的生活重心，當其他青少年在享受著整天辦派對的輕鬆生活時，她全心投入棋盤上的64個方格裡。柯姬·艾倫像哈蒙那樣缺席了很多學校的課，可是同時也憑著自修繼續學業。
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“Chess competitions are long, gruelling, and require extensive travel,” said Corke Allen, who returned to the US in 2009 and switched her focus to academics – graduating in 2013 from Wellesley College with a BA in Russian and Philosophy and four years later earning a master’s from Yale University in Slavic languages and literature.
“My only knowledge of ‘normal’ teenage milestones, parties and proms and such, comes from watching high school movies,” she said. “I spent more time playing chess with old men than socialising with people my own age. But it didn’t feel like a sacrifice at the time, because I believed the trade-off was worth it.
“I don’t regret my decision looking back. It was an incredible opportunity to travel, experience different cultures, and meet a lot of interesting people. Chess also led indirectly to my other passions and pursuits, such as the study of Russian culture and literature, and those formative years I spent as a chess player continue to influence my world view in ways big and small.
gruelling (adj.) = trying, exhausting = 令人筋疲力盡的
trade-off (n.) = a situation in which you balance two opposing situations = 平衡；協調
「西洋棋賽既冗長、艱鉅累人，又得不斷飛來飛去舟車勞頓。」柯姬·艾倫在2009年回到美國，轉為專心求學，她2013年從衛斯理學院（譯註：全年學費約NTD 200萬的美國東部頂尖私立女校）修得俄語及哲學學位畢業，四年後從耶魯大學取得斯拉夫語系及文學的碩士學位。
「我對『正常』青少年的人生里程碑、像是派對啊畢業舞會啊什麼的，都是靠著看關於中學生活的電影來理解。我花在跟成年男士們下棋上的時間比跟我的同輩相處更多。不過那時候，我並不覺得這算是犧牲，因為我相信這種權衡是值得的。」
「現在回想，我也不後悔。西洋棋既帶來周遊列國、體驗不同文化、認識無數有趣的人的難得機會，又間接把我引導向別的興趣與追求，好比說研究俄羅斯的語文跟文化。而在性格形成時期成為棋手，也持續從大大小小各方面影響著我的世界觀。」
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“Nonetheless, by the time I got to university, I made the conscious decision not to pursue a professional chess career. I think The Queen’s Gambit accurately depicts the fact that world-class players must pursue chess with a single-minded focus and intensity.
“Despite my love for the game, I do not share Beth’s level of obsession; chess will always be part of my identity, but it is only one of many interests I wish to explore throughout my life,” added Corke Allen, who teaches the game in-person and online and is a JD candidate at Yale Law School.
obsession (n.) = 醉心；沉迷
JD (n.) = Juris Doctor = 法律博士
「不過，進了大學，我清醒地下定決心不去發展職業棋手事業，《后翼棄兵》準確描述了一個事實：國際級棋手必須一心一意心無旁鶩進行密集鍛鍊。
我雖然熱愛西洋棋，卻沒有像貝絲那麼癡迷瘋魔；西洋棋永遠是我身份的一部份，但它只是我生命中想要探索的其中一種興趣。」柯姬·艾倫補充道。她現在有私人教授及在網路上教授西洋棋，又是一名耶魯大學法學院的法律博士生。
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Corke Allen’s chess hero is Hungarian pioneer Judit Polgár, considered the best female player of all time who she describes as the “real-life Beth Harmon” – “She smashed every gender barrier to compete in the very highest echelons of chess.”
Polgár opened the door for women to become part of the global chess culture and Corke Allen hopes more young girls will take up the game.
“Most of the time, I was so absorbed in chess that I did not pay attention to the gender of my teammates or of the person sitting across the board from me,” she said. “The game is a great equaliser in that respect. It doesn’t matter if you are a 13-year-old girl or a 70-year-old man, it just matters how well you can play.
“Off the board, the dynamics of the chess world can be hostile to women and girls, but the 64 squares provide logic, clarity, and a respite from the noise.”
創作內容
【后翼棄兵】現實中的香港版西洋棋后
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