01-06-2022, 05:54 PM
(01-06-2022, 05:13 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I learned how to play chess in high school and played with some of my friends, but I was never any good.
But one of my all-time favorite authors, Vladimir Nabokov, was a world-renowned chess player. He wrote really good book about a grandmaster who was so obsessed with chess that it basically becomes a mental illness. It is really interesting the way he describes how this guy's brain is working. I bet people who are better at chess than me would appreciate it even more. it is called "the Defense" or "The Luzhin Defense".
Chess plays a really big role in "The Yiddish Policemen's Union". There are certain things in it just for chess players, but it is not really about chess like "The Defense". TYPU is an awesome book. I like it so much I just bought it for my sister for Christmas.
The story is based off of Curt von Bardeleben. He apparently committed suicide by jumping out of a window in the 1920s. Very strong player.
