The Immortal Game: A History of Chess
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Product Description
Does playing chess require a great mind, or are great minds formed by playing chess? Chess is the seemingly simple game that contains infinity and which has had a profound effect for centuries on societies all over the world. Chess involves thirty-two figurative pieces, moving over sixty-four black and white squares according to simple rules. Yet, it has driven its greatest players to madness and has been the driving force behind the intellectual development of mankind. The rules and pieces of chess are a metaphor for society, they have formed the basis for military strategy and acted as an influence on mathematics, literature, the arts and artificial intelligence. Popes, rabbis and imams have condemned it is as the devil's game; Caliph Muhammad al- Amin lost his throne and life trying to checkmate a courtier while Benjamin Franklin used chess as a cover for secret diplomacy. Ranging from chess's invention in India in A.D. 500, its spread across the world by Islamic warriors to its role as a moral guide in the Middle Ages and its political use in the Enlightment, its key role int he development of twentieth-century Modernism and its twenty-first century importance in the development of artificial intelligence.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Place to Start,
By
This review is from: The Immortal Game: A History of Chess (Hardcover)
I found this book quite interesting, never having read a book (or other material) on the history of chess before. It was however, different from what I was expecting and seemed a lot shorter than it appears to be for some reason.
It will give you a good overall sense of the history of the origin of the game, with some very interesting facts and stories. Throughout the book it is paralleled with society and how it reflected changes in culture. This was interesting, though sometimes felt a slight bit stretched. What was more interesting, as the book gets into the more recent history, were the discussions of the usefulness of chess (in maths, logic, language, artificial intelligence etc.). But none of these discussions went very deep and I was left wanting to know much much more. I would recommend this book as a casual introduction to chess history, and an enjoyable book for a rainy afternoon. It will probably spark your interest in further reading (as it did mine).
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Book that Will Please every Lover of this Wonderful Game,
This review is from: The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Huma (Hardcover)
This is a very special book that will appeal to Chess Players, to History Lovers and Collectors. Any one with a passion for the game of chess will find this book to be a very enjoyable reading, that will open your eyes to a different aspect of the game: its origins, its traditions, the philosophy and everything that makes chess much more than a simple game, a hobby or a past time. Even those not familiar with chess will find here a wonderful introduction and will understand why chess player are so passionate about its practice. All in all the book offers a very pleasant and interesting reading, not just for chess players but also anyone interesting in learning about the game. Just be aware that this is not an instructional book on chess practice.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (58 customer reviews) 429 of 440 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and Well Written History of Chess,
By Robert M. Snyder - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Huma (Hardcover)
"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. 158 of 165 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Psychological, historical and culture review by novice chess player,
By Patrick D. Goonan "see profile for URL" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Huma (Hardcover)
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. 53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you are curious about chess,then read this great book!!,
By Timothy G. Forney - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Huma (Hardcover)
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.
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