Customer Reviews

The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Human Brain

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"The Immortal Game" gives a different and intriguing insight not only into the history of chess, but points out how chess has had an impact in the lives of even non-chess players today (i.e. terminology and analogies taken from chess). It is obvious that the author (David Shenk - an established author outside of the filed of chess) has done his homework, and shows great appreciation for the 1400 year old game. His sources are documented in his sources and notes segment as well as the use of footnotes throughout the text.
Is this a dry and boring history of chess? Absolutely not! You will find numerous interesting stories about some of the top chess players in the world, but also there is a heavy focus on famous people who play chess (who didn't gain their fame from chess). The author is quick to point out when something is a "story" or "legend" and that often a certain amount may contact some fact.
Do you need to know how to play chess to enjoy and learn from this book? No! In fact as you go through the book, basic rules are pointed out. Though not intended to be a book that teaches chess, for an absolute beginner, you will be gently introduced to the basics. There are a nice number of diagrams, pictures, maps and complete games (with light analysis to make the book of interest to the casual chess player). Great detail with diagrams for every move of the "immortal game" is given in segments throughout the book - an interesting way of going through the game - you can skip over the in between pages if you want to follow the game from start to finish with a diagram for each move (the pages with the game stand out and are easy to find). Interesting is also a look into the impact of artificial intelligence on chess and how chess is being used as a tool to teach children in school (improving match and reading ability).
If you are looking for a history book on the mechanics of the development of the game in great detail then "The History of Chess" by Murray is the classic work (from early chess to around the 18th century). If you are looking for a book with the major focus on the history and politics of top level chess players (with moderate number of well annotated games) over the last several centuries, the "The Chess Kings" by Olson, Volume One has been released. If you are non-chess player or a chess player looking for a little bit of everything on "Chess History" in a very well-rounded way that is scholarly yet not boring then "The Immortal Game" should be your first choice.

I liked this book because it was an excellent story written in the spirit of great fiction. It was well-organized and wove together many different threads from a variety of areas including psychology, history and culture.

The Immortal Game gives a history of chess and also presents interesting highlights of world history along the way with many insights into man's psychological constitution, proclivities, etc. It is also a cultural commentary and uses the game of chess as a metaphor. I think it's a quite clever concept for a book.

The parallels between chess as war and various military campaigns and personalities is used a lot to bring in a world history perspective. I like the way he used this theme throughout the book and he relates it back to psychological and sociological evolution in interesting ways. He also highlights the influence of the game on various world leaders throughout history.

This book is primarily geared toward novice players. This makes the book an easy read for everyone, but perhaps serious chess players would appreciate more in-depth chess specifics. There are other reviews below that place more emphasis on this dimension of the book's contents.

This thought provoking book also makes reference to some good research material on neuroplasticity, strengthening cognition, etc. The author relates some of this research to chess and speculates that chess improves memory and cognition. This is good speculation in my opinion and quite likely true. He also talks about computers and chess and references a few of the famous matches between humans and computers.

In short, this is good writing. I recommend this book highly. It is great food for thought and engages the mind in many imaginative, entertaining and informative ways. Even if you are not a chess player, you are likely to enjoy it and perhaps develop an interest in learning the game yourself.

Chess popularity didn't endure all these years for no good reason. It captivates the imagination in ways no other game ever has. There are many reasons for this which this book explores thoroughly.

I notice some people haven't been marking this review as helpful, but they haven't been leaving me a comment. If you dont' find this review helpful, maybe you can give me some suggestions on what you feel is missing, so I can update it to be more useful. My intention in writing this review was to be very concise, augment other reviews and convey the spirit of the book to the average reader.

I really enjoyed reading this book.It is a nice introduction to chess history and the game itself.It goes move by move with diagrams ,through the Immortal Game, played by Adolf Anderssen. It teaches you algebraic chess notation,which is the language of chess.It also teaches you the ideas behind each move.This book takes you on a journey of the game of chess, through time and many cultures .It tells of the dark side of chess ,its obsession and its madness. It also tells of the light side of chess ,its creativity, and its positive influence on human beings. He writes about its influence on children and the elderly.I could not put this book down and read it in 2 days.I found one minor notation error.This would make a great gift for a friend who may want to learn chess.I highly recommend buying this book.

As a chess player and traveler (To move or not to move, is the question!) this book gives you a solid historical perspective on the development of the great game. Curiosity drove me quickly through the book discovering new fascinating facts from geography to social and political systems. The metaphors are all there and David did his homework. It's presented in an easy mix of famous games, basic instruction and chess insight. Check it out.

You do not have to be a chess player to enjoy this book. In my case, however, I am a chess player and enjoyed it immensly. I read this book cover to cover in about six hours...I have never read another book so fast in my life. The story was enthralling, the writing was captivating, and the points made about Chess and its impact on our world's culture and history were quite well made.

"The Immortal Game" by David Shenk

Chess was the "game of Kings" for over a thousand years. Around 1492, even while Columbus was asking Queen Isabella & King Ferdinand of Spain to fund his explorations, the court players were changing the rules of chess to speed the game up. They named their faster game, "Mad Queen" Chess". It is the game under these rules which eventually became popular in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and Great Britain. It is the game we play today. Many people know that the first book printed by Gutenberg was the Holy Bible. How many people know that the second book printed by Gutenberg was a PRIMER on CHESS?

Author David Shenk has composed a concise, yet illuminative history of chess from it's foundation to the present. His fascinating accounts of chess in regard to war, to science, and to art and culture generally will cut a swath in the world of chess literature, as author Shenk guides us through the Four Great Eras of chess play: (1) Romantic (2) Scientific (3) Hypermodern, and (4) New Dynamism.

*** CHESS AND THE TRANSCENDANT, THE ABSTRACT, THE COSMIC ***

Shenk identifies the Transcendent, the Abstract, and the Cosmic in Chess, which is something I have also discovered. In Shenk's own words:

"Chess, with its move/countermove dynamic, is inherently dialectical..." p. 171

In numerous passages, I find that author Shenk's conclusions reflect my own. For example, on page 148 where he observes that "...chess taps into primal forces beyond our immediate control."

We love the game as though we were infected with a virus; but it has always been so. Whether it is a Caliph in Bagdad or a European Monarch, the Royal Game not only endures, but flourishes even now as we play. Most homes in Mongolia have a chess set. If only America could boast of that claim.

*** AUTHOR DAVID SHENK AND HIS HISTORICAL RESEARCHES ***

Shenk has revisited sources of chess history, and decided to overcome a problem with much of the chess literature, the lackluster passing reference or OBLIQUE REFERENCE. Instead, Shenk gives us much of the original source material in quotes so that we may examine it for ourselves. His source material is listed in the back pages.

**** BAGDAD, year 813 (A.D.) of the Common Era: an era Shenk covers in his book ***

In one of the many Bagdad palaces, Caliph Muhammad al-Amin of the Abbasid Empire, one of the largest kingdoms in world history, was playing chess against his favorite eunuch Kauthar. If you were to walk entirely around the main outer wall, you would travel a full six miles before returning to your starting point. Moreover, the main wall was one hundred forty-five feet thick, and one hundred feet tall. Bagdad, in 813 C.E., rivalled Rome and Constantinople in prestige. Bagdad was a center for science, religion, art. The city was on the central trade route between Central Asia, Africa, and Europe. Several centuries before chess became the obsession of Europe, it had long infected the lands of the Islamic Caliphate.

Caliph al-Amin's own brother had challenged the throne since 811 C.E., and thrown the kingdom into a bloody civil war; but in the late summer of 813 C.E, Caliph al-Amin played chess, while his brother besieged Bagdad. Catapaults hurled rocks, arrows flew, flaming oil rained down upon attackers, and elite mounted cavalry ran men down, spearing them wickedly. The imperial city was crumbling; but Caliph al-Amin played on. A panicked emmissary rushed in to deliver the following message, according to the Islamic historian Jirjis al-Makin:

" Oh Commander of the Faithful, this is not the time to play. Pray arise and attend to matters of more serious moment."

This is the manner of history that Author David Shenk pursues, and it is delightful, fascinating, and informative in the extreme. The illustrations of chess positions throughout the book are pleasing to the eye. His book will become highly-valued in the First Edition I am sure.

*** WHY HAS CHESS NOT VANISHED LIKE MOST GAMES ****

The question must be asked about the game of chess; why has it not fallen into the oblivion which nearly all games sink? Why has chess endured for 1500 years? As generations pass away, so do their pastimes. Chess has become an international language.

**** THE ROLE OF JOHN J. PERSHING AND CHESS DIPLOMACY ****

John J. Pershing is special to chess history, although few people know of the occasion when Pershing used the game of chess to negotiate peace treaties with Moro tribesmen of the Phillipines.

Spain had ceded the Phillipines to the U.S. following the Spanish-American War of 1898, where Lieutenant Pershing had led the Tenth Calvary, a black troop. The dismounted Tenth excelled in the attack up San Juan Hill, in which Pershing, cool under withering fire, led his troops.

Transferred after to the Phillipines as a Lieutenant, Pershing committed himself to educating himself to the situation. Many in the American military and state department viewed the Moros as barbaric. For certain, they were a warrior people who honored bravery with respect. They were also Muslim, and polygamous. Their culture had been connected to Mecca since the 13th Century. The Moros hated Christians, and especially Christian Filipinos. Ferdinand Magellan had raised the Spanish flag over the Phillipines in 1521. Hostilities had existed ever since. Three hundred years of Spanish colonization had left little that could be called modern.

The American Army had mostly been restricted to a "Coastwise Colonization." Little contact with the interior had been ventured. A military governor was appointed, but the Moros had practiced slavery, piracy and banditry for centuries. The Moro mind was a different world from that of the American military. In Moro culture, (1) things written, would be, and (2) Infidels and their doings were irrelevent. With such a mindset both the colonial regulations and military officers would be flouted. Moros would simply refuse to acknowledge the power held by the infidel. With such extreme polarization of culture, Pershing realized that there would be massive bloodletting if working relationships with Moro tribes were not developed.

What the American military ceded as merely a problem of suppression of the "Insurrectos," Pershing saw as a human problem. The Moros reminded him of the Apache and Sioux warriors of the American continent. Ever the professional, Pershing began educating himself in Moro culture. He studied Moro language and customs. He read the Koran. Moros of different tribes and regions were led by a headman called a "Datto." If religious taboos could be by-passed, Pershing held some hope for relationships of trust. Pershing learned that the Moros played chess.

Pershing walked into the center of a virtually deserted Moro village and set up a chess board. After a wait, the Muslim headman appeared, willing to play a game. Over the course of hours, a mutual respect was developed, the opponents learning much of each other. By this method, Lieutenant Pershing was able to establish relationships of understanding with many Moro headmen, and treaties often formed, saving many lives on both sides. For his success, Pershing was promoted to permanent captain in 1901. In 1903, President Roosevelt addressed the U.S. Congress, naming Pershing as an officer deserving promotion on merit.

The Denver Chess Club used to meet at the VFW at 9th & Bannock Streets, where a small museum was kept on the first floor, dedicated to the Colorado volunteers in the Phillipine campaign. This was the very first Veterans of Foreign Wars chartered in the continental United States, VFW POST #1. There were swords, ammo displays, pictures, and Moro weapons. I do not think any of us made the connection at that time, between our chess play in Denver, Colorado and the winning chess diplomacy of John J. Pershing.

In Denver Colorado, the Adams City High School Chess Coach, Larry Grohn, a social studies teacher, will not be in bed before midnight on Tuesday, because he drives his students to the Denver Chess Club's Tuesday night meeting. It is the best way to acquaint his students with strong competition. The next morning, Larry Grohn must teach school again. He needs chess clocks and equipment, for which there is no funding; but Larry Grohn prevails through sheer determination. His dream is to give his players a chance in life, a chance which might be found through the lessons of chess.

To the extent that David Shenk can make the world more aware of the satisfaction to be found in chess, of the friendships to be made, of the rewards of developing mind and soul, we shall all be much in his debt. Many people could handle life better, I think, if only they had developed only a little of the qualities of character that chess teaches; how to handle confict, how to think 'out-of-the-box' and how to develop a genuine respect for those who seem to oppose us in daily life. Indeed, there is an ancient maxim: THINE ADVERSARY IS BECOME THINE INSTRUCTOR.

Chess is, dollar for dollar, one of the most affordable of all pastimes. It brings people together in bonds of friendship. It can teach deep lessons about life and mankind. It can free us from worry and care, and assuage the feeling of being alone and 'not-fitting-in'. It is a most excellent stepping stone to connecting to the basics of life, in a world where many people are utterly bereft, not knowing which way to turn or where to go.

Most importantly though, people need to get rid of the delusional notion that the game is only about "winning."

I read this book in one 4 hour sitting, couldn't put it down. The story of chess's origins and influence on so many global leaders throughout history is fascinating. Ben Franklin and Napoleon's 'chessploits' were particularly interesting. I was intrigued by the author's exploration of what chess does to the psyche. The game analysis is well written and accessible to relatively early stage chess players. The Immortal Game would appeal to anyone interested in history and strategy. For those of us who are newly addicted to this amazing game, this is a wonderful read.

I only own two chess books on the history of chess. I call one the work of a major scholar and one the work of an artist. Both are great!!! The Immortal Game is by the artist (kindoff a scholar anyway) who though is no real chess player himself, is a great writer, has done his homework and makes what may would call "a boring subject" come "true to life" and rather interesting to say the least. You will find this book entertaining, accurate historically (based on my research) and what I would really call a VEREY brief, but entertaining history of chess. The other is called "The Chess Kings" more from a prospective of an expert rated chess player himself if you want a two volume work that really, really gets into the accurate, but someone opinionated" (what is wrong with that - makes it interesting - did "Alekhine choke on a piece of meat, or did he commit suicide accodring to the police chief, his friend) to avoid a world championship match when he knew he would lose). Actually this is kinda of a guess, since volume two hasn't come out yet (1940+) a must wait a see suspence!
As far as I am concerned THE IMMORTAL GAME" is a fantastic work of literature by a non chess expert as a player, but a great writer! I like to see all prospectives!

It seems like some of the greatest works about a subject emanate from those who've made a laborious research of that subject as a relative outsider, as opposed to those who are inexorably saturated in the subject they cover.

Such is the case with "The Immortal Game." If David Shenk isn't considered a chess missionary by the end of this book's run, then chess as a whole will be the one to lose. Far from being another static test pattern of information, Mr. Shenk very deftly walks the line between burgeoning chess expert and enthusiastic historian.

While the predicatory backdrop for the book is the infamous 1851 match in London between two chess rivals, Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky, the book as a whole serves as a sort of societal snapshot, and how chess has influenced even some of the world's most weighty decisions. Chess' innate characteristic of distilling the abstract and insoluble into digestible and concrete realities makes routine appearances throughout history, and the author skillfully makes use of these examples throughout the entire work.

Shenk also explores chess paradoxical side, examining how a game that has driven some of the world's great players into institutional madness has also functioned as an anchor of sanity for those less inclined to peer directly into the abyss of infinite values; just exactly how was it that chess was a vital diplomatic tool in the hands of Benjamin Franklin, and yet a diplomatic nightmare in the hands of Bobby Fisher?

What I love about this book is the way Mr. Shenk immediately levels the playing field with the reader, by placing himself solely in the camp of one as easily flummoxed by "mate in two" conundrums as the next guy. Impeccably researched and peppered with quotes from the famous as well as infamous, the book sort of creates its own inertia by making the reader wonder what's around the corner.

By approaching the historical aspects of chess overall, as well the annotations from June 1851, one feels a legitimate sense of journey from someone intellectually curious enough to read a book just like the one they've written. The book is a smart read, but not the pretentious work of a chess diva. This is a book that says "here's what I've learned thus far . . ." setting the reader up for either a sequel, or their own journey through the annals of chess history. This is a book that will engage a grandmaster, while driving the novice to learn more about the game. The historical tapestries are far reaching, and rich, yet one never feel the sense of impending, academic overload so many historical texts are guilty of delivering.

I do not intend to downplay the importance of the game after which the book is titled. The game, along with its very insightful annotations, is cleverly woven through the book as a sort of musical coda, before engaging the next movement. The game's comparatively short 23-move lifespan can be interpreted in many contextual ways. It can be seen as a testament to hope, or a paean to tactical brilliance. One can see the fateful pessimism of Napoleon's waterloo, or the epic and bloody triumph at Normandy. It can literally be transmogrified and recontextualized an infinite number of ways, and yet never violating the boundaries of plausibility. Yet, Shenk proves the game itself is worthy of study in an academic sense as well. Shenk's annotations are clear and brief, leaving the readers to discover their own rationale for moves considered simultaneously brilliant and suicidal. I had never studied a game quite so closely, and never really thought a chess game could carry any real pyrotechnic qualities. I was wrong.

For this analysis alone the book is worth its price many times over. Buy this book

There have been a number of chess books published recently, most of them in expensive hardback format: Bobby Fischer vs. Russians, Kasparov's My Illustrious Predecessors, even Shahade's uneven Chess Bitch. Now add to those titles The Immortal Game, a great overview of chess by David Shenk. The author became interested in chess rather late, and he'll never be a great player, and he knows it. But that doesn't mean the game can't be fascinating. One of the things to take away from this book is you don't have to be a Grandmaster to get a lot of out chess.

The book follows the history of the game as it also tracks one famous encounter between two chess players in 1851. Dubbed "The Immortal Game," it sums up what is so magical about chess--its unpredictability, its sudden reversals, and the feeling that no matter how much you play it, you will never fathom its depths. That's also the point Shenk drives home in the part of the book not devoted to the game, as he looks at how chess has shaped thinking on everything from math to science to social class to warfare to art to computers to psychology. He talks about great achievements brought about by chess, and the game's darker side, which has led to more than one case of madness, more than one suicide, and a reclusive American genius' raving anti-semite comments. No other game, he argues, has impacted the world as much, and few have lasted as long.

This is a well-written book, and very engaging. It does not have to be read by a person deeply-immersed in, and it's not overly-technical. I have to quibble a little about his insistence that chess geniuses are made and not born. While I don't doubt that thousands of hours puts the Garry Kasparovs and Susan Polgars of the world ahead of the rest of us, he ignores the fact that many other a would-be champ devoted equal effort to the game and failed miserably. He also doesn't seem to get that much of the "research" that has "proven" effort over aptitude is effected and infused by social and PC bias of the time, just as research on the subject half a century ago was similarly biased in the other direction. We seem to hesitate to say there may be a "chess gene" because the game is predominantly male and almost completely excludes certain racial groups. Be honest and ask yourself if we'd approach the sport of basketball with the same convictions.

Overall this is a very good book, however, and I recommend it for both the devoted fan and the casual, as well as curious, person, as a fine entertainment. Hopefully we are seeing a chess-publishing revival in the book world, and renewed interest in the game in the U.S.