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About This Book
ISBN13: 9781401300975 
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Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
As an adolescent, Hoffman loved the artistic purity of the game — and the euphoria he felt after a hard-fought victory — but he was disturbed by the ugly brutality and deceptive impulses that tournament chess invariably brought out in his opponents and in himself. Plagued by strange dreams in which attractive women moved like knights and sinister men like bishops, he finally gave up the game entirely in college, for the next twenty-five years.
In King's Gambit, Hoffman interweaves gripping tales from the history of the game and revealing portraits of contemporary chess geniuses into the emotionally charged story of his own recent attempt to get back into tournament chess as an adult — this time without losing his mind or his humanity. All the while, he grapples with the bizarre, confusing legacy of his own father, who haunts Hoffman's game and life.
In this insider's look at the obsessive subculture of championship chess, the critically acclaimed author applies the techniques that garnered his earlier work such lavish praise — the novelistic storytelling and the keen insights — to his own life and the eccentric, often mysterious lives of the chess pros he knew and has come to know. Intimate, surprising, and often humorous, it's both Hoffman's most personal work and his most compelling.
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About the Author
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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
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Terry Labach, June 13, 2008 (view all comments by Terry Labach)
I had an inkling of how odd the world of chess players was, thanks to my son who showed early chess promise and success, until he gave the game up to play guitar.
But the obsessives of the chess world remain largely hidden to most of us. King's Gambit is one of a number of recent books that opens up that world. Paul Hoffman, former editor of Discover magazine, brings his writing talent to bear on both the world of chess and his troubled relationship with his father. Hoffman, himself a chess talent, was introduced to the game by his father.
Readers of "Searching for Bobby Fischer" will recognize many of the venues, characters, and observations. In some ways Hoffman's book feels as both prequel and sequel to the earlier book, as he records his travels around the world, attending tournaments and meeting players at all levels. Gossip about Kasparov and Kramnik is interspersed with his memories of his youth, his parents, and his chess.
For chess nuts, or anyone who has struggled with their parents, this book is highly recommended.
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9781401300975
- Subtitle:
- A Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Hyperion
- Subject:
- General
- Subject:
- Action & Adventure
- Subject:
- Humorous
- Subject:
- Personal Memoirs
- Subject:
- Chess - General
- Subject:
- Chess
- Publication Date:
- September 2007
- Binding:
- Hardcover
- Grade Level:
- General/trade
- Language:
- English
- Pages:
- 433
- Dimensions:
- 9.46x6.48x1.26 in. 1.55 lbs.
- Age Level:
- from Al to l0
