Chess Book Review - My Opponent is Eating A Donut, by Tim Just
This book review is part of a series that I began after I started sifting through the library of my local chess club. As I continue my chess improvement journey, I’ve grown more curious about the game’s history, lore, and culture. As such, I’m picking titles not necessarily about chess theory, but usually about the people and events that make chess special.
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Some of the greatest moments in chess history have happened at the chess tournament.
It’s the regimen through which the world’s greatest chess players have been forged, and the stage on which they prove their mettle and leave their names in the legacy that is the game’s history.
So much attention is placed on the competitors, the innovators, and the titans of the chess sphere, but these moments would not be possible without the efforts of one person: the tournament director.
They are not a bedazzled financier; if they play chess at all, many would marginally admit to being of mediocre skill at best - and certainly not at the strength of the likes of Magnus or Kasparov. Yet they are the conductors, the arbiters, and the managers who keep a tournament running smoothly and fairly from its opening ceremony to the winners' podium. These directors, and all of the other men and women who help adjudicate, often do so without recognition, and rarely receive the spotlight. Luckily, all that has changed with the publishing of the short and anecdotal book by Tim Just, US Chess National Tournament Director and chief editor of the 5th and 7th editions of the Official Chess Rulebook.
That’s right - this gentleman wrote the book on the rules of tournament chess, as well as the regularly recognized code of conduct for tournament play. Tim credits his arbitration of the National Open for twenty years to his efficacy as a TD (as heard on a very interesting interview that he performed with Mr. Neal Bellon on the latter’s Chess Angle Podcast).
And after all that time, he’s seen a thing or two.
His collection of essays, My Opponent is Eating A Donut: Tall Tales, Legends, Gossip and Rumors from the World of Tournament Chess, chronicles around five dozen stories of the sights and arguments that one could only see while refereeing the world of classical chess: from breaches in etiquette, to cheating accusations, players being late to the board, knocking over the board, or - you guessed it - eating a soft, icing-washed pastry over the board.
Tim shares these tall tales as if they are happening in front of him again, while also taking the time to share game notes and rules that help provide better context for the stories. However, don’t be fooled - this collection is more than a retelling. To me, it is a note of admiration, not only to the men, women. Students, mothers, fathers, chaperones, guardians, support groups, one-party cheer sections, chess coaches, teammates, and fans that color these competitions with such life across the world, but also to the legacy of the game itself. It is not a reference book or a biography; it does not mention anyone famous (by name, anyway). But it does shine a light on the people of the tournament scene and ensures that they, too, have their spot in chess history. And as the author himself might humbly put it, he might call it a footnote, an asterisk along the long march of time that says, 'Ahem, excuse me - that’s great and all, but these folks were here, too. And they make chess the game that it is, just as much as these great players.”
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I had no idea that a chess book with such a unique perspective was available at my local club library! Overall, I would give this gem of a chess book a 4 out of 5. Any reader-chess player, or otherwise, who is interested in the ins and outs of tournaments will likely find this book to be satisfying (perhaps some readers have had similar experiences?). It is a fairly niche title, so I doubt that many public libraries would have this one, but it can never hurt to check!
