The Immortal Game: A History of Chess

by David Shenk

Book Overview

A fresh, engaging look at how 32 carved pieces on a Chess board forever changed our understanding of war, art, science, and the human brain.

Chess is the most enduring and universal game in history. Here, bestselling author David Shenk chronicles its intriguing saga, from ancient Persia to medieval Europe to the dens of Benjamin Franklin and Norman Schwarzkopf. Along the way, he examines a single legendary game that took place in...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400034086
• ISBN13: 9781400034086
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Anchor Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

History for a kid or any age!!!!

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!

If you are curious about chess,then read this great book!!

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.

Entertaining and enlightening

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.

Amazing book...quick, brilliant read.

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.

an ILLUMINATIVE history

"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 Europ