Chess and social interaction

Dag Østerberg, Johan Asplund, and the board

Abstract

What can a theory of chess learn from sociology? And what can sociology learn from chess? This article examines the contribution of Scandinavian sociologists Dag Østerberg and Johan Asplund on chess and sociology in order to better understand chess and, to some degree, the sociologies of Østerberg and Asplund. Developing the concept of tertius as a necessary third quasi actor mediating between ego and alter, the article also contributes to a general sociological theory of games. The game is analysed as a form of interaction where each player plays (i) with tertius against the opponent, and (ii) with the opponent against tertius. The article ends by arguing that tertius could be a valuable concept for sociological theory.