Chess 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 selfhelp book Mosss quest to understand chess and become a better player is really an attempt to escape a lifetime of dilettantism. He wants to become an expert at one thing. What will be the consequences when he realises he is doomed to fail?Moss travels to Russia and the US hotbeds of chess throughout the 20th century meets people who knew Bobby Fischer when he was growing up and tries to unravel the enigma of that tortured genius who died in 2008 at the inevitable age of 64 meets Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen, world champions past and present and keeps bumping into Armenian superstar Levon Aronian in the...

Binding: Paperback;416 pages; Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; Classification: BM; Weight: 446 g; Dimensions: 200 x 135 x 27

Something not quite right? You have 28 days from the day you receive it, to send something back.

Please note, we cannot offer refunds on fashion face masks, cosmetics, pierced jewellery, adult toys, and swimwear or lingerie if the hygiene seal is not in place or has been broken.

Items of footwear and/or clothing must be unworn and unwashed with the original labels attached. Also, footwear must be tried on indoors. Items of homeware including bedlinen, mattresses, and toppers, and pillows must be unused and in their original unopened packaging. This does not affect your statutory rights.

Click here to view our full Returns Policy.