Customer Reviews

Chess is My Life: Edition OLMS

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Though somewhat superficial and brief. This gets 4 stars because Viktor is uncompromising in his honesty and he presents his unvarnished feelings, in more cases than not negative ones, about the institutions and people that affected his life. Despite being a curmudgeon Korchnoi comes across as actually being likeable.

In the beginning of this new edition of his autobiography he mentions that he cut out much of the description of his tournaments and the emotions he felt during them. This is quite a shame as Viktor is a chess player and any lessening of the focus on his chess events and his dealing with tournaments lessens the book. Imagine a biography of a sports star that didn't mention much about his sport.

Much of the book is about his battles with the Soviet machine, particularly Karpov. In these portions he unapologetically displays some strange ideas about para-psychology.

The editing of the book is unfortunately poor, with the narrative jumping around rather than being in a linear order. There are also some minor errors where Korchnoi gets some names wrong that he couldn't be expected to remember correctly but that an editor should have had fact checked.

On the whole though an interesting look at the life of one of the longest high-level careers in chess history.

Still i Don't have read completely this book but I want to recommend the same to all the chess fans.
I saw to play Korchnoi twice in Pamplona: it seems to me like a fighter, a warrior but a gentleman also.
The book tell us the life in USSR inside and outside the chess environment and the breakout of the Soviet Union.
They are bery interesting the opinion about the rivals (and colleagues).
Very recommended.

Written in the relaxed style of an old grandfather telling stories, this book is an easy read. Interesting to see behind the curtain and what life was like in the old USSR. Also, there is good chess.