THE JOYS OF CHESS
Author: Christian Hesse
New In Chess (2011)
432 pages
$34.95
Review by John Donaldson
THE JOYS OF CHESS by Christian Hesse is the rare chess book that can be read without the use of a board. This compendium of bedside reading recalls Irving Chernev’s CHESS COMPANION and Horowitz and Rothenberg’s THE PERSONALITY OF CHESS. Like these works, the JOY OF CHESS is filled with a potpourri of articles on all aspects of the game. The table of contents reveals this is a book that will provide countless hours of entertainment and features a foreword and afterword by present and past world champions.
Contents
Foreword by Viswanathan Anand – 9
Introduction – 11
Introduction to the English edition – 13
Some history – 15
The value of the pieces – 30
Fate – 38
The phoenix theme – 41
The butterfly effect – 45
History repeats itself – 50
The geometry of the chessboard – 55
Time and time forfeits – 63
Games man ship – 66
About the opening – 69
Minimalism – 72
Parity arguments – 77
Selfmate activists – 80
Chess and psychology – 83
Le gal loop holes – 92
The conqueror of the conqueror of Fischer – 95
Deception manoeuvres – 99
Quantum logic in chess – 102
The uncertainty principle – 104
Determinism – 107
Symmetry and breaking the symmetry – 114
Dreams and dream combinations – 122
Auto-aggression – 126
Zen and the art of con fronting superior forces – 129
Evaluating positions – 134
The impossible – 137
Provocation – 141
Working out what is essential – 145
Strong Vibrations – 148
Chess experiments – 153
The magic of place – 155
Refuting the refutation – 160
Problems, Studies and Stories – 162
E = m · c² in chess – 171
Immortality – 174
Virtual combinations – 178
The most over-rated move – 181
Threats of the nth degree – 185
Heroes of defence – 189
Adjudicating games – 194
Taking back moves – 197
The theory of relative beauty – 201
The archaeology of chess positions – 210
The most difficult problem? – 213
Re treats of genius – 215
Logic and the logical – 219
Lousy ideas, brilliant moves – 222
Smothered mate – 225
The problematics of winning positions –231
Visual deceptions – 235
Vengeful chess: the spite check – 240
Error correction – 244
Pat tern recognition – 248
Life on the edge – 255
Luck, bad luck and related issues – 259
The rules of chess in 1560 – 263
The tactical offer of a draw – 267
Chess at the top – 270
Perpetual motion – 273
From demobilisation to self-incarceration – 277
A new chess doctrine – 281
The mother of all moves – 285
The worst of the worst – 289
Death at the board – 291
Castling – 294
Rarities – 298
Brilliant bad moves – 302
Pawn specialties – 305
Crass outsider wins – 308
Minefields – 311
Ockham’s razor and chess-chindogu – 313
Obstacle races – 317
Chess and non-chess – 321
Falling into one’s own traps – 325
Poems and problems – 329
Chess and Tristan and Isolde – 332
Intermediate moves – 335
Duels – 338
Stumbling at the winning post – 342
Spectacular rescues – 345
Positions and transpositions – 348
The analytical worst-case scenario – 352
Silent sacrifices – 354
Major piece battles – 358
Attacks – at all times and on all sides – 362
How many moves? – 366
Stalemate – 370
The clash of opposites – 373
Time & Tempo – 378
Things eccentric – 381
The truth according to the book – 385
Miscellaneous, worth mentioning – 387
My favourite – 407
Me and my mates – 411
A sort of epilogue – 416
Afterword by Vladimir Kramnik – 418
Index of literature consulted and further reading – 420
About the author – 428
Index of Players – 429
The JOYS OF CHESS is a chess book that can be enjoyed by players of all strengths.
