great book; you Must get it.
"The Immortal Game" by David Shenk
Sort:
Apr 20, 2009
0
#3
Liked the first half better than the second. Seems like once he got to 1900 he wrapped things up in a hurry. The Beckett / Duchamp material was particularly weak. Liked the chapter on the Nazi's and chess propaganda -- interesting read.
was gonna post this ... then i did search ... so i'm necro-posting to this thread instead ...
The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or, How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Science, and the Human Brain
by David Shenk (2006, Random House)
Yeah, I suspect this has been mentioned in the forums before. So allow me to be redundant: I recommend this good book!
Written for mainstream readership (a reader does not need to know the rules of chess at all), the book concerns more the subject of world history (real history; like, you know, uh ... war plague famine courtiers science arithmetic geography merchants cities Dukes crusades etc.) than the subjects of chess tactics and theory. It describes major historical developments in the game from chatranga in Persia / India, through medieval rule changes and growth, to European contributions, to the present day.
I was just, someone who had absorbed some chess expience. For me, this book fills in all my gaps in HISTORICAL knowledge. Like, "Wait a minute, there used to be a 'Minister' piece in India? And later Germans invented an eleven-by-eleven grid ultra-sized chess with Flakpanzer pieces? Whoa freaky ...", or "Now hang on, I remember that Mr. Morphy was important, and I can use Wikipedia to remind me of what year he died, but tell me again, tactically speaking, WHY was he so important?"
The book does a neat job of weaving together three major story-lines: (1) "The Immortal Game" of 1851 (in detailed analysis, move by move; but also, description of the setting, what the Simpson's Grand Divan pub on The Strand in London is like, stuff like that) with (2) history of the game of chess from Asian origins through European adoption up to today, with parallels to major historical developments such as the spread of Islam, medieval feudal society, how chess fit in with the European Enlightenment, and (3) enough side commentary on tactics that any reader grows to understanding the game in chronological synchronicity with the game's own growth from ancient forms to the present day. This isn't a "chess book about the game's history" as much as a "history book about the game of chess", meaning, historical and social context takes precedence over tactical training.
I recommend it for anybody, expert player or novice, even if you think you already know all of the history that he's included.
For those who don't know the book i strongly advise to read "The Immortal Game" by David Shenk.
Based on the knwon game between Anderssen and Kieseritzky in 1851.
David Shenk, as an amateur of chess, comments that game and at the same time presents us with rich history of chess since its origins (no, not since Adam and Eve, is not that old, only 1.400 years) from various points of view.
There, for example, you can find one of the oldest known problems, from Arab al-Adli directly to you from the year 840.
Try it yourself.
The Immortal Game goes like this:
Enjoy.