Every Move Must Have a Purpose: Strategies from Chess for Business and Life [Hardcover]

Bruce Pandolfini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2003

From the world-renowned chess teacher, a guide to applying the principles of the game to beating the competition in any endeavor luid and elegant, yet rigorous and rule-bound, chess is a game that seduces, confounds, and hooks. Now, world-renowned chess master and Fortune 500 business consultant Bruce Pandolfini shows readers how chess principles can be simply and logically applied to any business or life situation. No specific chess knowledge is needed, but after reading Every Move Must Have a Purpose, you will share with the most astute chess players the secret to thinking on your feet. From the celebrated 'chairman of the board' comes the secrets of strategy that everyone will find useful. n Be aggressive, but don't take unnecessary chances n Answer all threats with a counterthreat n When exchanging, always get at least as much as you give up Crisply and engagingly written, with entertaining examples and chess anecdotes, Every Move Must Have a Purpose will improve your strategic thinking so you'll never again debate your next move.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pandolfini has taken two seemingly unrelated disciplines and drawn strong connections that can be informative and useful to both . . ." -- Stanley F. Druckenmiller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Duquesne Capital Management LLC

"Pandolfini has taken two seemingly unrelated disciplines and drawn strong connections that can be informative and useful to both . . ." -- Stanley F. Druckenmiller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Duquesne Capital Management LLC

About the Author

Bruce Pandolfini is one of the world's most sought-after chess teachers, and one of the most widely read chess writers working today. His role as analyst for PBS's coverage of the 1972 match between chess superstars Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky first launched him into the public eye. Pandolfini was portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, and more recently profiled in both the New Yorker and Fast Company. He is a regular columnist for Chess Life, the bible of the chess world, and continues to professionally coach young players and consult with CEOs from numerous Fortune 500 companies. He lives in New York City.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (November 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786868856
• ISBN-13: 978-0786868858
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #545,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SAY CHESS!, April 20, 2004

By 

Shashank Tripathi (Gadabout) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Every Move Must Have a Purpose: Strategies from Chess for Business and Life (Hardcover)

If you're looking for that perfect in-transit book to skim through, without straining your shoulders but working your grey matter, this slim treatise (115 pages, double spaced) makes for a pretty good fit.

Simply put, it draws some very thoughtful life and business lessons from Chess. Don't worry, it includes just enough chess material to keep the book relevant to the strategic game, but not so egregiously that it puts off people unfamiliar with chess (you know what a rook is though, right?)

The author writes almost like a chess player: with concentration and quick, quiet decisions expressed in single sentences. Which makes this book not only a pretty neat source of business thoughts, but also one of the better self-help and self-improvement books I've ever read.

You'll end up with a fistful of aphorisms if you really read, and while it may look a bit steep for its slim size, it's absolutely worth it. Highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed With Knowledge!, April 22, 2004

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Every Move Must Have a Purpose: Strategies from Chess for Business and Life (Audio CD)

This slim volume, which draws life and business lessons from the game of chess, is one of the better self-help and self-improvement books you're likely to pick up. At only 115 pages, double-spaced, and a mere 20,000 words, the entire book is about the length of a chapter in most other books in its category. Author Bruce Pandolfini includes just enough chess lore to keep the book relevant to chess, but not so much as to overwhelm a chess-averse reader. He writes concisely, as a chess player plays, with a great deal of concentration and quick, quiet decisions expressed in single sentences. The book offers several fine aphorisms, the sort you will remember long after you have put it down. But it's not the kind of book you will want to put down. Fortunately, we are glad to note, it is small enough to fit into a purse or computer bag along with everything else you carry.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Longer Diagonal, December 10, 2003

By 

Lynne Foster-Chapman (Tulsa, OK United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Move Must Have a Purpose: Strategies from Chess for Business and Life (Hardcover)

The elegant technique of chess instructor Bruce Pandolfini was never more cogent than in his latest offering, Every Move Must Have A Purpose. The chapters are beautifully delineated by chess principles and deliver incisive applications of thinking methods that penetrate relations in business and other areas of life. He supports these ideas by referencing examples from historical chess moments and sharing insights from the breadth of his experience.