Chessdon [Paperback]

Don Schultz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1999

Starting in a small town chess club, the story rapidly moves to Iceland and purported KGB attempts to influence the Spassky/Fischer World Championship match. A defection in Thessalonika, an attempt at ping-pong style diplomacy in Dubai, KGB blackmailing of a FIDE official in Moscow, and a terror-stricken KGB colonel in Merano are constant reminders of how corrupt governments attempt to use international sports for selfish political gain. Against this background and a seemingly never ending stream of anecdotal encounters with players and officials, CHESSDON gives the reader an insight into the world of chess-the good, the bad and the ugly. Throughout CHESSDON are sprinkled twenty-eight carefully selected games with commentary by GM Gabriel Schwartzman.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A one of a kind book that will capture and hold the attention of not only chess enthusiasts but the entire reading world. A candid view of chess and chess politicians. . .names names and tells stories. . .pulls no punches. . .tells it as it is. With his intimate knowledge of chess personalities around the world, Don Schultz is uniquely capable of capturing and holding the reader's attention. -- Phil Haley, FIDE Zonal President and Delegate to FIDE from Canada

Pulling no punches, [e-mail] reveals everything from KGB involvement with chess, to anecdotes, guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes. Chess personalities, ranging from Bobby Fischer to Judit Polgar, are all present and accounted for. Do you know who won the first Earth vs. Outer Space chess game? All this and more. I've read thousands of books -- including hundreds of chess books -- Don's book is the best book about chess that I've ever read. -- Charles Pote, Former editor of the award winning Rocky Mountain Chess News

This is one of the most interesting chess books ever written. Don Schultz offers the inside story of the panorama American and International chess from the 1960s to the turn of the century. Having been in a privileged position as a chess organizer, Schultz outlines the fabulous and all-too-human stories of world champions, grandmasters and woodpushers, alike. If you love chess, you will not be able to put this book down until you've read every page. --Dr. Frank Brady, Former editor Chess Life Author Bobby Fischer Profile of a Prodigy

Won US Chess Federation 1999 Best Chessbook of the Year "Cramer Award" [e-mail]

From the Author

It was October 1997 in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The US Senior Championship had just ended. GM Arthur Bisguier won the tournament and was giving a speech at the awards banquet. Arthur was telling stories about some of his more intriguing chess experiences. The audience was riveted to their chairs; they listened to his every word. As I watched and listened, I realized that I also had a story to tell. The next day I started writing this book.

As I wrote, a strange thing happened. An incident would often trigger my recollection of a related event and send me off in a direction I had not anticipated. The book began to take on a direction of its own. I became both the storyteller and the listener at the very same time. Virtually every day for the next year, I woke up about 5:00 a.m. and wrote until the early afternoon, often without having breakfast or lunch. I wrote about my chess experiences over the last forty years. A story began to unfold. It cast light on the world of chess-a conglomeration of people, conflicts, struggles, humor, beauty, happiness, disappointment and determination-a microcosm of the world we live in. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: Chess Don Pub; 1st edition (August 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967077508
• ISBN-13: 978-0967077505
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,840,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TO Z, May 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Chessdon (Paperback)

Skip the games and you will likely read the 370 page book from start to finish. I played chess in NYC tournaments in the early sixties and Chessdon brought back many nice memories. Definitely five stars. I especially enjoyed the many inside stories concerning world champions Bobby Fischer, Kasparov and Karpov.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, October 12, 2004

By 

Edward D. Detrick "edd111" (Portola Valley, California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chessdon (Paperback)

A very enjoyable personal narrative of aspects of the national and international chess scene. If you are interested in instruction, get Silman and Watson.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Review, January 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Chessdon (Paperback)

Very well written. I learned a great deal about the world of chess. Reads like a novel. I felt I got a good insight into the players. Reading about the behind the scenes goings-on during the Spassky/Fischer match, the deep Blue /Kasparov match and other world class battles was highly interesting. Grandmaster Schwartzman's game reviews was first class.