Description
Book SynopsisChess was invented more than 1,500 years ago, and is played in every country in the world. Stephen Moss sets out to master its mysteries, and unlock the secret of its enduring appeal. What, he asks, is the essence of chess? And what will it reveal about his own character along the way?In a witty, accessible style that will delight newcomers and irritate purists, Moss imagines the world as a board and marches across it, offering a mordant report on the world of chess in 64 chapters 64 of course being the number of squares on the chessboard. He alternates between black chapters where he plays, largely uncomprehendingly, in tournaments and white chapters, where he seeks advice from the current crop of grandmasters and delves into the lives of great players of the past. It is both a history of the game and a kind of Zen and the Art of Chess; a practical guide and a self-help book: Moss's quest to understand chess and become a better player is really an attempt to escape a lifetime of di
Trade ReviewThe Rookie is actually a life lesson much more relevant than all of those self-help books * The Daily Mail *
Stephen Moss’s highly readable book,
The Rookie, is a brilliant account of the emotional roller coaster of an average club player trying to become seriously strong ... Many will empathise with Stephen’s tribulations and can learn something about themselves. Recommended. -- Leonard Barden * The Guardian *
There is wit and humour in abundance in the book * Surbiton Chess Club *
Deserves to do for chess what
Fever Pitch did for football -- Charles Cumming
An engaging memoir [and] a… spiritual journey * Daily Mail *
