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"Chess gets a hold of some people, like a virus or a drug," writes Robert Desjarlais in this absorbing book. Immersing us directly in chesss intricate culture, he interweaves small dramas, closely observed details, illuminating insights, colorful anecdotes, and unforgettable biographical sketches to elucidate the game and to reveal what goes on in the minds of experienced players when they face off over the board. Counterplay offers a compelling take on the intrigues of chess and shows how themes of play, beauty, competition, addiction, fanciful cognition, and intersubjective engagement shape the lives of those who take up this most captivating of games.
List of contents
1. Blitzkrieg Bop
2. Notes on a Swindle
3. Psych-Out
4. Sveshnikov Intrigues
5. Son of Sorrow
6. Ambivalence
7. Cyberchess
8. 24/7 on the ICC
Endgame
Appendix 1. Note on Chess Annotation
Appendix 2. “Life is touch-move”
Notes
Glossary
Acknowledgments
Index
About the author
Robert Desjarlais is Professor of Anthropology at Sarah Lawrence College.
Summary
“Chess gets a hold of some people, like a virus or a drug,” writes Robert Desjarlais in this absorbing book. Drawing on his lifelong fascination with the game, Desjarlais guides readers into the world of twenty-first-century chess to help us understand its unique pleasures and challenges, and to advance a new “anthropology of passion.” Immersing us directly in chess’s intricate culture, he interweaves small dramas, closely observed details, illuminating insights, colorful anecdotes, and unforgettable biographical sketches to elucidate the game and to reveal what goes on in the minds of experienced players when they face off over the board. Counterplay offers a compelling take on the intrigues of chess and shows how themes of play, beauty, competition, addiction, fanciful cognition, and intersubjective engagement shape the lives of those who take up this most captivating of games.
Additional text
“Brilliant . . . a rewarding read.”
Report
"This one is special, crafted for the general reader as well as the aficionado. . . . Like the game itself, Counterplay is an enjoyable mental exercise." - Foreword
