Friday, February 6, 2009

Ten of the best chess games in fiction

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best chess games in fiction.

One title on the list:
The Royal Game by Stefan Zweig

One of the passengers on a ship is the world chess champion. Another, Dr B, tells the narrator of his incarceration by the Nazis, during which he tried to stay sane by playing mental chess against himself, dividing his mind into two contesting characters. With this training, he easily beats the world champion. In a return match, the champion plays as slowly as he can, driving Dr B to distraction and madness.
Read about the other nine chess games on Mullan's list.

--Marshal Zeringue