CELESTIAL CHESS GALAXY
By Joyce Jillson

Jeremy Silman, an avatar of chess, is the archetypal Virgo. With his sun, moon and Mercury all in the sign of Virgo, he is a textbook case of the focused, sometimes obsessive individual. Having the sun and moon in the same sign of the zodiac makes him a “double Virgo”. So all the attributes of the Virgo apply to him exponentially.

He is analytical, secretive, self-possessed, reliable, practical, diligent, meticulously prepared and witty. When a subject becomes important to him he can become fixated, blind to outside influences. Virgos have the ability to find flaws. Their critical facilities are so finely honed that they immediately zero in on problems. In chess Jeremy chisels away at a position with the precision of Michelangelo chipping away at marble.

Virgos may be discerning and find fault, but they always do so from the vantage point of trying to solve a dilemma. In their exuberance to point out their discoveries, it may seem as if they are disparaging someone. Not at all, and they mean no offense. If, on rare occasions something or someone raises Jeremy’s ire, a verbal tsunami will burst forth, as he’ll unequivocally let you know what he thinks of your transgressions.

With his confluence of Virgo intensity Jeremy is always digging to find core ideas, thanks to his Mercury--the planet of analysis and reason--situated in the Virgo sign as well. He has an archaeologist’s love of examining relics from the past and is fascinated by what others call minutia. Once his appetite is whetted, like a Black Hole in space, nothing escapes his attention. He must not only understand an issue or interest, but he must own it. Then he internally digests the data breaking it down, then reassembling it again to his own specifications.

Silman’s chart shows he has an unconscious mission to find and illuminate a unified field theory of chess. Like all the great scientists he insists that even complicated theories/ideas can be broken down into plain language. He cuts through to the essentials as easily as a knife cuts butter.

SILMAN’S PERSONAL TEMPI

Virgos have their own philosophy about time. Whether playing a blitz game or researching his books, Jeremy like many Virgos has a knack for warping time, shaping it to suit what they are doing. Jeremy can do more in a minute than most people do in half a day. Conversely, once enmeshed in something of interest he can lose himself for hours on end debating, researching and thinking about things with the intensity of a hermit. His Virgo planetary cluster is in the 9th house, the region of the horoscope showing a lust for knowledge, Aristotelian logic, intellectual curiosity, eclectic interests, open-mindedness, disregard for convention and a desire to experience all the pleasures of life. Indulgent?! No and yes. No, for he does not indulge without lots of forethought. But once he wades into a scrumptious, sensual pleasure dome of celebration he knows no limits. Jeremy doesn’t sample anything, he devours it. Whether physically, intellectually or emotionally this is an all or nothing guy.

Sagittarius is his ascendant. (The ascendant, or rising sign, is at 9 o’clock on the first house cusp.) This positioning makes someone imposing, not because of his/her height or stature but because of the powerful inner strength emanating from these individuals. Jeremy, like other Sagittarius rising people, is honest to a fault. Sags are known for saying what they think and only then figuring out what the impact might be. There is no veil between Jeremy and his subconscious. Just as he suggests to his students that they “read the board,” so you need only look at Jeremy to figure out how his day or game or life is going.

From early childhood, he has had disdain for rules that seemed unreasonable. Totally independent from the get-go, he has assiduously striven to break any emotional bonds, which held him back. Somewhere along the line, he was subjected to some emotional blackmail and at this early life juncture he vowed never to be beholden to anyone again.

Sagittarius rising makes Jeremy a freewheeling spirit. A traveler. He’s someone who is curious and who hates to be tied down, unless of course, he sets the rules. Sagittarius here bestows an untamable enthusiasm, a man who tastes everything on the buffet of life. Probably several times. Once he has though, he becomes very particular (thanks to his Virgo sun). Only the best is good enough. A seeker of all kinds of knowledge, he delves into history wanting to know the “why” behind a story. He takes nothing for granted and often questions authorities in chess as well as other fields of endeavors. As he does in chess, in all matters he has a knack for zeroing in on the crux of a problem or finding the one small, but vital, miscalculation. Other really secure experts enjoy his opinions and feedback because of his deductive talents. The insecure mask their bewilderment with anger.

AN UNUSUAL PLANETARY CLUSTER

This chart is rather unusual. All the planets and other luminaries are clustered between the 7th and the 1st houses of his chart. With this dizzying array of planets (included in this broad term are the sun and moon) all bunched together in the 7th through 10th houses he has a need to play out his personal problems and skills in a public arena. Chess being the perfect mise en scene for his larger-than-life persona. Only Mars, the planet of plunder and aggression is below the horizon. In Jeremy’s chart it is placed in the first house, the house of self. Mars in Capricorn is exalted in this sign because the planet and sign are so much in harmony. In plain talk this means that he is a self-starter and when he plumbs the depths of his dreams and ambitions he is enormously enterprising. People with this Martian point are energized by pressure.

Mars is the planet that fuels one’s destiny. Placed herein, Mars sheds light on the dark recesses of Silman’s mind where he plots the future. Just as in his chess he never looks one move ahead. First he surveys the landscape in the broadest of terms, thinking years (or in chess, moves) ahead. Secretly he prides himself on his economy of movement. Each book or interest or activity is part of a major blueprint. This is the astrological position of the general who is not afraid of being on the front lines himself, and thus commands a very loyal following.

Saturn in the 10th house in Scorpio makes Jeremy a bit of the provocateur. He loves mischief and to kick things up a notch. Once the melee has begun, though, he usually leaves the scene figuring that his work is done.

Big problems don’t upset Jeremy. But poor baby, like many of this super conscientious Virgo sign, a minor disruption can ruin his afternoon. And the worst mistake you can make with him… is to bother him. “Leave me alone,” this and just about every other Virgo man cries. It’s not because Virgos aren’t friendly but because they like to live and work in the alpha brain wave environment. To explain: It takes a bit of time to enter this dream-like, creative, intuitive stage of wakefulness. For regular folks when the phone rings they simply answer it. But Virgos have to get out of their alpha trance-ish stage and then refocus on the immediate task at hand, the phone. Doing this is exhausting and when the Virgo resubmerges into these subconscious depths to write or play chess or do anything creative it takes enormous effort and self-discipline. After several interruptions, however important, he might as well view a favorite classic movie and zone-out, because his creative juices have gone south.

Various astrological portents give Jeremy a bright future. The planet of success, wealth, and renown—Jupiter--is now moving into his ninth house, ruling publishing, multi-media and education. This bequeaths enormous prosperity and respect. Right now we see only the tip of the iceberg, yet this is only the beginning of his power cycle. In the next 2 years he hits another personal and professional peak as the largest planet of them all (Jupiter) enters the house of authority and influence, delivering on long over-due promises. Interestingly for his many fans, his upcoming success may not center solely around chess. While he won’t ever leave the game behind, there’s still another huge life chapter that Jeremy is ready to unveil.

Jeremy is launching his web site under the auspices of the Leo sun. And yes, web sites, like people and corporations and countries have astrological charts. The reasoning behind this charting is that when a venture is born the stellar influences guide the project/person/etc. for its life. The forefathers chose July 4, 1776 as the founding date of the United States, because its horoscope was so auspicious.

JeremySilman.com will eventually be known as much for its entertainment value as for the chess information it imparts. Much like Jeremy himself who asks his students whether they win or lose, “Well, did you have fun?” this Internet site will have you coming away feeling you learned something and you had a good time.