Overview

Winner of the Chess Journalists of America 2020 Best Book Award! At the U.S. Championship in 1989, Stuart Rachels seemed bound for the cellar. Ranked last and holding no IM norms, the 20-year-old amateur from Alabama was expected to get waxed by the American top GMs of the day that included Seirawan, Gulko, Dzindzichashvili, deFirmian, Benjamin and Browne. Instead, Rachels pulled off a gigantic upset and became the youngest U.S. Champion since Bobby Fischer. Three years later he retired from competitive chess, but he never stopped following the game. In this wide-ranging, elegantly written, and highly personal memoir, Stuart Rachels passes on his knowledge of chess. Included are his duels against legends such as Kasparov, Anand, Spassky, Ivanchuk, Gelfand and Miles, but the heart of the book is the explanation of chess ideas interwoven with his captivating stories. There are chapters on tactics, endings, blunders, middlegames, cheating incidents, and even on how to combat that rotten opening, the Réti. Rachels offers a complete and entertaining course in chess strategy. At the back are listed 110 principles of play--bits of wisdom that arise naturally in the book's 24 chapters. Every chess player will find it difficult to put this sparkling book down. As a bonus, it will make you a better player.

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9789056918811

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Reviews

""A gripping read throughout, Rachels concludes by presenting 110 principles of play, guidelines which should help all strengths of reader.""-- ""CHESS Magazine"" ""A US Champion celebrates a collection of his best games and explains why he mysteriously walked away from the chessboard aged just 23. This is a really absorbing read because Rachels played games against the elite but with hindsight can be reflective and honest about the people he met...I particularly like his revealing anecdotes which are rather brutal.""--Gary Lane, International Master ""Chess Moves Magazine"" ""Everyone who loves chess should thank Stuart Rachels for giving us this beautifully written book. The analysis is deeply throughout, with just the right mix of variations and English-language explanations, and the stories are delightful.""--Patrick Wolff, Two-time U.S. Champion Grand Master ""Highly enjoyable. An original book that combines a game collection, a memoir and an instructional guide.""--Jeroen Bosch, International Master ""Schaakmagazine"" ""Lively, entertaining and instructive.""--Matthew Sadler ""Rachels' annotations are fun. He is at his best when conveying the drama of a long complex battle. Instead of just attaching'?'s to inferior moves and 'I's to alternatives, he shows the surprising moves that one or both sides missed in their calculations, and the emotions that he felt as the game went back and forth. Rachels' ability to involve the reader in the excitement of the battle makes this book worth reading, and there's plenty of other material to brows through. Rachels includes many elementary examples and a good deal of advice, so his book may be more appealing to less advanced players.""--John Watson ""Chess Life Magazine"" ""The book is also full of stories and anecdotes, many of which are highly entertaining. Rachels writes in a friendly style, alternating, perhaps slightly uncomfortably, between self-deprecating humor and arrogance: he might almost be sitting across the board from you explaining his games. The constant switching between topics will ensure you never get bored. Although Rachels is a relatively minor figure in chess history who retired nearly 30 years ago, he still has an infectious passion for chess, writes well, annotates lucidly and tells a great story. It's often very funny too: a hugely entertaining and engrossing read which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you like games collections and biographies you shouldn't hesitate to snap this one up.""--Richard James, Nationwide Building Society, Accenture ""British Chess News"" ""The most enjoyable book I've read in a decade. This is what an autobiographical chess book should be: entertaining, honest and instructive.""--Andrew Soltis, Author ""Confessions of a Chess Grandmaster"" ""This book was a blast to read. It is fresh, entertaining, and has funny stories and anecdotes about Kasparov, Kortchnoi, Anand, Seirawan and many others. But it also offers a lot of serious, deep chess analysis, and it is a pleasure to look at plenty of interesting games.""--Arne Kaehler ""ChessBase News"" ""Well written and entertaining. Definitely a book to which I will keep returning, both to dive into the games and the quality annotations as well as to enjoy the many stories.""--Carsten Hansen ""American Chess Magazine"" ""While analysis is given where needed, it's the extensive prose commentary that will be best appreciated by the average reader when going through the 124 games and fragments on offer. Not only the game analysis is first rate, this book is well written and accurate. A book that deserves a wide audience. Players from 1600 on up will find it both a good read that is full of instructive commentary.""--John Donaldson, International master, International Master ""A really wonderful book.""--Frank Zeller, International Master ""Stuart Rachels manages to combine great stories with serious instructions into one absorbing book.""--Karsten Muller, Grandmaster

A really wonderful book. --Frank Zeller, International Master Stuart Rachels manages to combine great stories with serious instructions into one absorbing book. --Karsten Muller, Grandmaster The most enjoyable book I've read in a decade. This is what an autobiographical chess book should be: entertaining, honest and instructive. --Andrew Soltis, Author Confessions of a Chess Grandmaster This book was a blast to read. It is fresh, entertaining, and has funny stories and anecdotes about Kasparov, Kortchnoi, Anand, Seirawan and many others. But it also offers a lot of serious, deep chess analysis, and it is a pleasure to look at plenty of interesting games. --Arne Kaehler ChessBase News

Author Information

Stuart Rachels (b. 1969) is an International Master who retired from chess when he was 23. He works as an Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of Alabama and has edited new editions of books by his father, the famous philosopher James Rachels.

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