Bibliofreakblog

The Chess Artist by J.C. Hallman

My brother-in-law bought this book thinking it was a guide to playing chess.  He wasn’t wrong, per se.  It is about chess, about chess theory, about different moves, with fantastical sounding names.  And while you might pick up some new mad skillz, you’d have to be a far better chess player than I, who knows only how to castle and walk the pieces, in order to do so.

HOWEVER, you’ll definitely get a rollicking read, a history of chess, a window into the exclusive, esoteric world of chess culture, and insight into the post-Soviet travel industry.

J.C. Hallman worked for a while as a dealer at a casino upon finishing school.  It was there that he met chessmaster Glenn Umstead, who also worked in the casino while trying to make a name for himself in the chess world and become the highest-ranking African-American player.

Keep in mind that this is a true story.  In fact, about a month or two ago, I commented on a blog (sorry, I can’t seem to remember when and where it was now) about nonfiction books that read like a novel that this is one.  It’s important to know this as I explain the following:

Hallman is fascinated by chess, and chess culture.  He goes with Umstead to chess stores in NYC, to impromptu, for-money games in parks, to tournaments, and watches him play online.  While Umstead tries to teach Hallman the ins and outs of chessmastery, Hallman is more interested with the history of chess and its function in society today.  

So.  They do things that anyone with a borderline unhealthy obsession would do:  They show up uninvited to a respectable afternoon of chess at Princeton’s math department and play a game with a convicted murderer in prison.  But that’s nothing compared to when they go to Russia.

The duo go to Kalmykia, a little province run by people who, quite literally, want to turn chess into a religion.  There is no hot water, but there is a seven-year-old chess genius who can beat Umstead.  There’s no heat, but there is plenty of vodka.  There is no democracy, but there are sexy English translators.  There is no way to solve the murder of a jounalist, but there is a city built on chess.

Hallman weaves the story of their escapades in Russia in with his story of friendship and the history of chess.  It can be a little hard to follow at first if you aren’t to that post-modern sort of set-up.  However, each section is brought to life but Hallman’s captivating story, true-to-life dialogue, and descriptions both bleak and beautiful.

Recommended not just for chess and Russian enthusiasts.

If you like this book, you might like:

The Corrections (F) by Jonathan Franzen
The Queen’s Gambit (F) by Walter Tevis
King’s Gambit: A Son, a Father, and the World’s Most Dangerous Game (CNF) by Paul Hoffman
The Kings of New York (CNF) by Michael Weinreb
The Defense (F) by Vladimir Nabokov
Alice in Wonderland (F) by Lewis Carroll
Chess Story (F) by Stefan Zweig
The Chess Team (F) by James H. Sawaski
Alekhine’s Anguish (F) by Charles D. Yaffe
The Chess Machine (F) by Robert Lohr
White King and Red Queen: How the Cold War Was Fought on the Chessboard (NF) by Daniel Johnson
Philosophy Looks at Chess (NF) by Benjamin Hale (editor)

Other works by J.C. Hallman:

The Hospital for Bad Poets (F)
The Devil Is a Gentleman (CNF)
The Story about the Story (NF) (editor)