Immortal Game: A History of Chess or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science, and the Human Brain Book

OH YEAH, tough competition on Chess the Immortal Game in the reviews arena. I'm really in the big leagues here with Chelsea and her three likes. Or Benjamin Zapata's three likes and comment. Yeah I really got bring out my A material here. (This book as 159 reviews and 3 likes gets ya top billing. Tough crowd.)

And I if were to rebut Chelsea's criticism that the author dawdles too much on his own experiences, that's it's self indulgent, I mean, that's what these pop books are. It's the convention. The writer places themselves at the center. I'd do the same thing if I were them. It'd be odder if they didn't. < That/ > would really register a blip on the Gabedar.

ANYWAY, I think if you read anecdotal books you should share the spoils.
SPOILER: spoils

The origin of Chess
The widowed queens' only son had died. The town elders went to the philosopher to ask how they should break the news to the queen. The philosopher thought for three days then asked the palace carpenter to whip together a checker board with some figurines. He called his new game "war without bloodshed." The philosopher taught the game to everyone "in the know" and soon its popularity was famous throughout the kingdom. The queen upon hearing of the craze requested a demonstration and the philosopher and the philosopher's friend played a game. When the king was mated she said "My son has died. Thank you for telling me in such a cool way. Tell the people I am ready for them to comfort me in my grief."

That's the best one anyway.

The two pieces that have remained the same from the earliest form of the game……drum roll please, this is my best anecdote……the knight and the rook! The Flying L & The Haymaker. The bishop use to be an elephant that could jump a space (a flying elephant). And the queen, back in her wayward years, used to be a jester. That is,

until the reign of Isabelle I of Castile. To onlookers of the period, Isabelle was doing such great work starting the Inquisition, driving out all the Muslims and Jews, and all that, they thought, "That's the kind of queen our chess board needs, a fire breathing harpy. It'd really shake things up."

Duchamp (gave up art to play chess professionally, but that's old hat) wrote a book about an endgame. He said that even chess masters didn't even read his book since the likelihood that they'd ever have that configuration was extremely rare. I wonder how < its/ > doing on goodreads. Duchamp and Beckett, chess BFFs. Aint that fit as a fiddle?

In the first Harry Potter movie, when they have the chess match, that sequence is so lame. They could've made it so much cooler.

Voltaire loved chess and played the unusual tactic of using his king as his primary offense. Some games, it was the only piece he played. He also made the habit of playing on the graves of his enemies.

Marx loved chess and often tried to queen every one of his pawns. An unusual strategy, he would respond saying he wasn't trying to win but rather re-envision the hierarchy of the caste system. It was an idea that had a profound effect on his chess game and why no one wanted to play with him.

When I played competitive chess as a young lad I had the annoying habit of making a "cha-ching" sound whenever I took an opponent's piece. But I did lose at lot of those matches, so the better kid won.

Anyhow, that's about it.
Also, and more importantly, there's a good chess app and if anyone wants to go toe-to-toe on the chessboard, just say the word.

That is, unless you're chicken.