CHESS IS MY LIFE

Author: Viktor Korchnoi

Edition Olms (Hardback, 2005)

http://www.edition-olms.com/

In the U.S. http://www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com/

226 pages

Free CD with 4280 of Korchnoi’s games added to the inside cover

$39.95

Reviewed by Jeremy Silman

Viktor Korchnoi is not only one of the greatest players of all time, he’s also one of the game’s truly colorful characters. In a sport that’s viewed by the public as being filled by socially retarded individuals, or by nerds that can’t see beyond the 64 squares they worship, Korchnoi stands out as a man of powerful words and, more often than not, overwhelming emotions.

This version of CHESS IS MY LIFE has nothing to do with earlier ones. Here we have a nicely designed hardback book with a free CD containing 4280 of Korchnoi’s games added (attached to the inside cover). Though it comes in a nice package, the content is what counts, and here we find pure gold. Korchnoi doesn’t have an ounce of diplomatic blood in his body. Thus he says what’s on his mind, and this honesty shows us a flawed man (aren’t we all?) who isn’t always on the right side of an argument.

Though we get eight deeply annotated games, it’s the insider looks into the lives and personalities of all his contemporaries (which, of course, is great stuff), and the no-nonsense candor he demonstrates in every subject, that makes the book so compelling. For example, in discussing his old teacher Vladimir Zak: “Zak was deeply upset that his favorite pupils Spassky and Korchnoi ended up abroad. Both Spassky and I tried in some way to help our teacher and his family, but it has to be admitted that this was insufficient. And in his later years, although a distinguished person, there was no one who could help him. He died in 1994, in abject poverty.”

On teaching kids to play at a young age: “Parents often ask: at what age should their children be sent for intensive chess tuition. But I, remembering my young years, advise and beg them not to hurry. Chess can grip a child like a fever, and overshadow the process of general education that is so necessary to a child.”

On the following position (which is superior for Black):

Bagirov-Korchnoi, 27th USSR Championship 1960

BLACK TO MOVE

“At this moment the game ended. Without making a reply, I left the stage. The two-thousand crowd of spectators was left in ignorance of what had happened.”

The answer is both fascinating and detailed, with Korchnoi freely admitting his shortcomings, both analytical and psychological (sorry, you have to get the book to get the answer!).

On his staying at a Dutch families house during his escape from the Soviet Union:

“I was not very concerned about hygiene. In my suitcase there were a few sets of underwear, which I had brought with me from Leningrad. Karin did not know how to conduct herself, but my behavior with regard to cleanliness and hygiene seriously irritated her. And one day she exclaimed: ‘My husband changes his underwear every day!’ And I remembered this phrase all my life.”

Most people see themselves as the heroes of their own story, and Korchnoi is no different in this regard. In almost every match he played (win or lose), he finds fault with the opponent or makes excuses if he happened to lose. As the book progressed, I found this “me against the evil hoards” mentality both fascinating and ultimately a bit annoying.

A typical instance of this was in his legendary 1977 Candidates Match vs. Spassky. Though four points ahead at one point (which means the match was, for the most part, over), Korchnoi began to complain about psychic attacks (a common rave by Viktor) and how Spassky was trying to distract him. Donner shows how silly this was by saying, “The circumstances would seem to warrant an excellent frame of mind; even if one’s opponent were to show up entirely undressed and walking on his hands, it might only be an added reason to have a good laugh at him.”

I feel that every serious player should have this book in his/her library.

To buy this amazing book at a $5.00 discount, click here: CHESS IS MY LIFE

Interested in a collection of Korchnoi’s best games (all deeply annotated) by the man himself? Then click on:

KORCHNOI BEST GAMES VOL 1 WHITE

KORCHNOI BEST GAMES VOL 2 BLACK