A Review of Russian Silhouettes
Each time after one of those [chess players], whom this book is about, passed away, I wanted to read about them. Later I realised that I wanted to read about them what I myself knew. More than this - what only I knew. Deprived of this possibility, I decided to write about them. Hence this book.
- Genna Sosonko (Russian Silhouettes, page 19)
Chess Without the Chess
In the quote above, the author sets the tone of his book with heartfelt motivation. Genna Sosonko (or more commonly known as Gennadi Sosonko) guides the reader through stories of his peers and friends as he knew them. Each chapter commemorates a different person, and Sosonko provides a rare experience - a direct window to experience the lives and personalities behind great chess players.
I learned of this book by reaching out on the Chess.com forums. With the Christmas holiday approaching, I was eager to purchase some easier chess reading for myself. But more importantly, I wanted to avoid the strenuous activity of hovering over chess diagrams and analyzing position after position, variation after variation.
The moment I quickly flipped through the pages, I was ecstatic; this was exactly what I had been looking for! There is not a single diagram in the entire book. In his review of the book, Professor Nagesh Havanur explains precisely, "For the aspiring player there is no greater inspiration than reading this book even though it has no games."
The Review
Let me clearly state from the beginning: Russian Silhouettes is a fantastic book. If forced to reduce the review to a number, I would give it a solid 9/10. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for chess inspiration or for anyone who is generally interested in chess history - especially concerning the Soviet era. I originally planned to include criticisms of the work. However, after much research I learned that every other reviewer has given nothing but praise for Sosonko's work. And in my opinion, Sosonko very rightfully deserves this respect.
Sosonko weaves together a fascinating narrative of his fellow chess colleagues. The writing itself is well done, and the natural flow of the narrative is beautifully accomplished. Furthermore, the storytelling structure is almost theatric - a quality not guaranteed with all nonfiction works. By slowly introducing characters throughout the book, the reader is exposed to the intertwined life of all the protagonists.
Russian Silhouettes begins with first-hand accounts of the famous former world champions Mikhail Tal and Mikhail Botvinnik. Then as the book progresses, more characters are added to the scene. Sosonko chronicles not only life events of the players, but information on their personal lives, struggles, and how they were perceived by other top players.
Although most of the players covered were of very high caliber, players of all levels can appreciate the familiar struggles experienced by the characters. For example, Lev Polugaevsky was extremely critical of himself. His own notebook contained entries such as "My nerves let me down, I lacked self- control," and "I am poor at realising an advantage," (page 60).
Another relatable problem was exhibited by one of the other personas of the book, Efim Geller - a perfectionist. His search for the best move often led him to time trouble. This attitude often "rebounded" on him, the author explains. "Perched on his high thoughts, Geller sometimes did not notice the obvious," (page 75).
But of course, there is far more to each person than just their strengths and weaknesses as a chess player. Whereas a chess canvas proves to be a painfully inadequate means of summing up a life, Sosonko shows the reader the human beings who sat by its side. The book seems endless with its stories, and - for the first time since I took up chess - the names of players finally meant something to me. When I now hear of Paul Keres, I immediately conjure into my mind the dapper Estonian. Looking at games from Botvinnik, I now cannot help but picture the almost robotic gentleman at the board diligently fulfilling his preordained destiny of winning the title for the Soviet Union.
The author leaves the reader with an important lesson towards the end of a book. A person can only appreciate a chess player "by looking at this human life in its entirety and not only in terms of the regalia and titles of champions," (page 210).
From the legendary junior instructor Vladimir Zak, to the tragic story of Alvis Vitolins, to the near-forgotten Grigory Levenfish, Sosonko succeeds in immortalizing his colleagues not for their chess but rather for the people they truly were.
About the Author, Genna Sosonko
All the characters featured in Russian Silhouettes are intriguing. However, one of the characters stands out as strikingly compelling: the author himself. Even though the introductory chapter serves as a brief summary into the first portion of his life, I cannot help but feel that Sosonko is the most mysterious figure within his own book.
As what may be expected, Sosonko was not just a good chess player; he was a great chess player. As the Russian Chess Federation website notes, Sosonko was a two-time Netherlands champion who was among the top 20 players of the world from 1975-1982.
During a Perpetual Chess Podcast interview, Sosonko briefly reflects on his defection from the Soviet Union. He arrived to the Netherlands unable to speak Dutch, having no ELO rating, and without a single person knowing his name. He proceeded to join all the open tournaments he could, and he crushed all the competition by winning every tournament and then securing his first Dutch championship title.
Sosonko's last rated match was in 2011. However, his tournament participation was already sparse by the turn of the century. It seems that Sosonko never took to casual online play either as I have been unable to find any hint of an online chess profile from the major sites.
The irony of Sosonko is that he paints such wonderful portraits of his friends and peers, but there seems to be little available concerning himself. To make him even more enigmatic, there are very few interviews featuring him (at least when searching for him in the English language). I sincerely hope Sosonko has written illustriously about his personal life elsewhere or that others will be able to do the same for him.
On a final note, Sosonko has written many more titles since Russian Silhouettes. His other books cover other chess figures including Vasily Smyslov, David Bronstein, and Viktor Korchnoi. Certainly, Sosonko delivers plenty of priceless chess history and entertainment for readers.
Additional Information
Russian Silhouettes ISBN-13: 978-9056912932
Seller Quick Links: New in Chess, Amazon
KingBishop's Article for Genna Sosonko - Including a Game Analysis
Photo Credits
All historic photos used in this post were taken from the The National Archives of the Netherlands and were made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
