- Invading
- Sacrificing
- Using ko
- Thinking territorially
- And many more
Chess adventures For wood-pushing novices or superstar grandmasters, chess can be an obsession. In pursuit of interviews, Sarah Hurst slid down an icy hill in Hastings to catch a Chinese women's world champion, chased Garry Kasparov around London, chatted cheerfully with a manic depressive in Budapest, and roamed the Russian steppe with Kalmyk Buddhists. When a newspaper editor Larisa Yudina was murdered within a mile or two of City Chess, the pet project of millionaire dictator Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Hurst began to expose the darker side of chess politics. She urged professional players to boycott the World Chess Olympiad, pointing to Ilyumzhinov's corruption and possible involvement in the murder. But chess players had no desire to reject the millions of dollars Ilyumzhinov was pouring into prize funds, and the boycott campaign failed. Readers will be captivated by Hurst's anedotes, insights and observations:
- Sample game and commentary
- Discussion of various opening strategies and game positions
- Explanation of how to read a Japanese score
- Fold-out Shogi board
- Sturdy paper playing pieces
The compelling sage of three years in the life of a real American chess prodigy - now a Major Motion Picture
Searching for Bobby Fischer is the story of Fred Waitzkin and his son, from the moment six-year-old Josh first sits down at a chessboard until he competes for the national championship. Drawn into the insular, international network of chess, they must also navigate the difficult waters of their own relationship. All the while, Waitzskin searches for the elusive Bobby Fischer, whose myth still dominates the chess world and profoundly affects Waitzkin's dreams for his son. "The quest is beautifully resolved... in a contest that knits together all the book's rich themes." - Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times
