Book review: The Immortal Game by David Shenk

I just finished reading The Immortal Game by David Shenk and I must say that it is an excellent read for anyone remotely interested in the game of chess. The author used deft strategy and cunning tactics to manipulate the reader into his desired position. Using a frame story to base the non-fiction work around, the reader is allowed the opportunity to dissect a little known match-up between two Grandmasters that took place in a cafe in London right around the time of an international chess tournament.

The subtitle of the book is: How 32 Carved Pieces On A Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Human Brain. That pretty much sums it up.

At skillfully selected junctures, Shenk pauses the play by play commentary to delve into various finer points within the history of chess. The highlights include it's mythological creations (there are plenty!) as well as the most likely true origin of the game. Attention is paid to the different schools of chess theory, from romanticism on through the current synergistic school of thought.

Additionally, the author proceeds to look at the impact of chess throughout WW II and the Cold War era. Another area that is given attention is the impact of chess on the development of artificial intelligence. The section that grabbed my attention the most, though, was the chapter that addressed chess' applicability in the educational system.

What is amazing is that Shenk is able to accomplish all this in a manner accessible to people with no prior knowledge or experience. I highly recommend this book, especially for anyone with children just beginning to play chess. For me, it reinforced what I instinctively knew regarding its benefits in the educational system.

Region IX Tournament Results

Surprisingly, the Fort Concho Rookies gave a strong showing for their first tournament. The first few round were tough for the kids. I had failed to prepare them to record their games on paper as they played. Lesson learned. Using the books that came when we ordered our chess boards, they'll do that from now on.

There was a 6 way tie for 2nd place in the K-5 category. Three of them were from our team. They were Anthony Navarro, Brenden Thompson & Enrique Castro. Congratulations to those kids. All the children did very well and I am extremely proud of every single one of them.

Overall, our team placed 3rd amongst the teams present. There were players from Lubbock, Odessa, Midland, San Angelo and Lawn, Texas. Instead of a trophy, the tournament's host, Mr. Vetter, elected to give a book, instead. They took a photo of our team and placed it on the inside cover. Each kid signed it and Mr. Vetter inscribed the occasion for the prize. The book is to be placed in Fort Concho's library so that the kids will all have access to it.

Today's event has renewed my interest in hosting a tournament in San Angelo. It will take plenty of work to get that to happen, but I think with the support we have received, up to now, I won't have to do it alone. It's great to have a support system in place.

A last minute thought...

We decided to get uniform polos made for the kids. Fancy Pants in San Angelo was kind enough to rush the embroidery for us on the day before. The kids loved them!