Customer Reviews

The Chess Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes

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

 

 

Those who enjoy puzzles that require logical thinking but are bored by standard "logic puzzles" and chess problems will find this book a sheer delight. Each puzzle presents an innocuous-looking chess position and a seemingly impossible-to-answer question about it, such as, "What was White's previous move?" or "Is it legal for Black to castle now?" or "On which square must the White pawn be located?" The questions can all be answered by pure deduction; although some of the problems are in some sense "trick questions," there are no silly answers involving outright cheating of the kind commonly found in inferior puzzle books. The puzzles are fresh, original, entertaining, and deep. My only complaint is that in the first half of the book, there is no clear demarcation between the statement of the puzzle and the solution, so that the reader who likes tackling puzzles without any hints has to guess the point at which he should stop reading. This flaw does not occur in the second half of the book, however. Readers who enjoy this book may also want to buy the companion volume, "Chess Mysteries of the Arabian Knights," although as of this writing (July 2000) it is out of print.

I am not a chess player, but I found this set of problems in "chess logic" thoroughly entertaining. To understand (and possibly to solve) these requires only an understanding of the rules of chess. "Sherlock Holmes" provides very thorough solutions and explanations for the early problems within the text. Later problems are merely stated with solutions provided at the end of the book. The problems range from relatively easy to quite challenging. The presentation is entertaining throughout. I hope that the publisher intends to keep this book in print -- and to consider re-publication of the companion volume on "Chess Mysteries of the Arabian Knights" (which I found equally enjoyable).

The other reviews given below cover the contents comprehensively - I wholeheartedly agree that it is a wonderful book for those that enjoy puzzles and have a knowledge of chess. However, lest anyone believe otherwise - this book will in no way improve your chess playing skills. The puzzles are all about what happened (ie the history of moves) to bring about the current chess position (given in a diagram) on the assumption that the laws of chess have been strictly observed. There is no assumption that either side played plausibly or well to bring about the current position. Thus, the puzzles do not concern a future sequence(s) of moves that would, for example, lead to mate for black/white. This is what sets it apart from most chess puzzle books.

If you don't know the rules of chess, this book will go over your head. If you're a chess grandmaster with no appreciation of Sherlock Holmes, you will miss the point. For those of us with some interest in both topics, it doesn't get any better than this. The chess puzzles are not the standard mate-in-two variety. Rather, they concern retrograde analysis -- how did we get here, what happened 2 moves ago, etc. You don't need to be good at chess, but you need a puzzle mentality. The Holmes/Watson dialog is entertaining, as well.

I think the 2-star reviewer misses the point of this book: it's supposed to be fun. And it is. The puzzles are pretty challenging, and it definitely helps if you play chess. You tend to notice positional abnormalities that are the bases of the problems. From there, it's just detective work.

But the real treat to this book is the world the author creates. Smullyan's characters can't play chess for nuts. You should see the bizarre positions they come up with - it's as though they're making random moves. Yet this doesn't diminish their love of the game one bit. They're such gentlemen too. No one minds when Dr. Holmes interrupts to ask questions. His new friends are always polite and like nothing more than a good demostration of deductive reasoning. I wish I lived in their world.

This is a book I return to every year or two. The chess problems are presented in a thoroughly engaging fashion--the Sherlock Holmes aspect gives a bit of continuity, but it isn't a crucial part of this book. Some of the problems are not too difficult, others are very complex. The book explains the solutions and the reasoning well.

There are several kinds of problems in the book. Some of these--especially the earliest--ask the question "what was the previous move?" At first (and second and maybe third) glance you might conclude the position is impossible. Then you find (or look up) the solution: the ingenuity whether you solved the problem or not is always enjoyable. Other kinds of problems include questions such as "Can black castle?" There's plenty of variety in these retrograde analysis positions.

Smullyan's sequel, "Chess Mysteries of the Arabian Knights", is equally worthwhile. An additional book dealing with retrograde analysis that is well worth reading is Perez-Reverte's Flanders Panel (which pays some homage to Smullyan). This is a mystery within a mystery, involving a centuries-old murder and a painting of a chess game. The art restorer finds a hidden message "Who took the knight?"--although an acceptable translation would be also "Who slew the knight?" One of the chess players was a knight, and was the murder victim. Retrograde analysis is needed to figure out which piece captured the knight, and that's just the beginning. Retrograde analysis makes for a very different kind of chess problem, and with Smullyan you know that you're reading the work of a master!

This is a very good introduction to retrograde analysis in chess. In the earlier chapters, the reader is "taught" the concepts of retrograde analysis through dialogues between Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Whilst it is not necessary to be good in chess to solve these puzzles, I must say that they are very deep. When Sherlock Holmes reveals the answers and explains his logic, one can't help but be amazed at the solutions. The celebral game of chess suits the Great Detective very well in this delightful book.

While it may have been a foregone conclusion that I would sing the praises of any book offering a confluence of Sherlock Holmes and chess, this is nonetheless a volume that can appeal to many readers: chess enthusiasts, puzzle aficionados, amateur Sherlockians, really anyone who enjoys crime novels or mysteries. One need not be a chess expert to appreciate the book. Indeed, the type of chess problem presented (retrograde analysis, i.e., discerning what happened *before*, instead of solving in the other direction, i.e., White to Move and Mate) is unique and thus even very good chess players will benefit from Holmes' elucidation.

Chess Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes is the perfect match: Holmes here is detective at the chessboard instead of the crime scene, although that comes later. Smullyan gets the timbre of the Holmes-Watson dialogue right. This is, at minimum, an enjoyable pastiche. Even Moriarty makes an appearance, and, as it turns out, leaves a legacy of ten retrograde problems. Solutions (sometimes exceedingly lengthy!) are included for all puzzles at the end of the book.

The Chess Mysteries of the Arabian Knights was a subsequent effort (1981 vs 1979), and is not readily available here, having been published by Oxford University Press. For the record, I did not enjoy that quite as much, probably due to my own dovetailed interests here.

Painfully, I must dock one star for the typos (enumerated at the Web site provided in the Comments section below) which, while not diminishing from this very unique book, may frustrate would-be solvers.

This is a very good introduction to retrograde analysis in chess. In the earlier chapters, the reader is "taught" the concepts of retrograde analysis through dialogues between Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Whilst it is not necessary to be good in chess to solve these puzzles, I must say that they are very deep. When Sherlock Holmes reveals the answers and explains his logic, one can't help but be amazed at the solutions. The celebral game of chess suits the Great Detective very well in this delightful book.

THE CHESS MYSTERIES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES by Raymond M. Smullyan was predictable from beginning to end. Immediately Dr. Smullyan admits he doesn't like or play chess yet proceeds to use chess as a vehicle to demonstrate 'retrograde analysis' as though it were unique to chess. Any human being who has mastered his trade, craft, or profession has probably routinely reconfigured his work to identify a prior characteristic. Retrograde analysis is common to anyone skilled at their occupation and the adroit have no need to read this book to learn a commonly acquired skill. (The unadroit will simply continue as they are.) I further think this book will disappoint both chess players and Sherlock Holmes fans, and contribute nothing for students of logic.