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Title: Mortal Games: The Turbulent Genius of Garry Kasparov by Fred Waitzkin ISBN: 0-399-13827-7 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 01 September, 1993 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.6 (5 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Behind the Scenes or a World Champion
Comment: I enjoyed this book immensely. I think Waitzkin does a good job of portraying Garry Kasparov's life both within the chess world and as a budding political figure and chess celebrity. This book does well in illustrating the hectic life that goes with being the strongest chess player in the world.
It also shows both his strengths and weaknesses in his personality, which project themselves onto the chessboard as well. We see Garry sometimes as both the confident champion who towers over opponents both on the chess board and physically. We also see an insecure young man who has been forced to face the world early in his life because of his success in chess.
In this book, you can perceive Waitzkin's paternal instincts kicking in, as he also has a son who is a world-class player. I think at times Garry looks to Fred Waitzkin as a father figure (or at least that's how the book makes it seem).
Waitzkin's text descriptions of the chess matches Garry plays are interesting. I think even those who do not play chess can appreciate the intensity of the games.
In all, I think this is a great book which shows us the personality of Garry Kasparov.
Rating: 3
Summary: Close, but no cigar
Comment: I want to start by saying that I did enjoy this book, it's just that at the end it left me wanting a little bit more. Fred Waitzkin gained unprescedented access to the Champ, but seems a little overwhelmed by the input to give us any real sense of Kasparov. As observers we get the feeling, as Waitzkin himself writes, that GK is putting on a bit of a show for him. The tortured soul, the rebel.
The political machinations and details of Kasparov's brush with the pogrom in Baku are horrifying, but serve to explain the darker side of our hero. Where I think Waitzkin excels, as he does in SFBF, is in his portrayal of the circus that surrounds Kasparov, and chess in general. The Kamsky's, for example, whom can only be described as a family with 'issues'. Or the background of Manny Topol, a crime writer so caught up in the spirit of the World Championship, that he takes to reporting it.
But when it comes to the man himself, something is held back. It's as if the author is so frightened of those famous mood swings that it prevents him getting under GK's skin. In the book, Waitzkin tells us that he and Kasparov had many conversations without the tape running, discussing various off-the-cuff issues. The reader is left wondering whether these unrecorded moments would have provided the true insight into Kasparov. The missing link, so to speak, between the man we see on TV grimacing at IBM officials, and the one in the book playfully teasing his wife.
All-in-all this a book that should be read by anyone with an interest in the subject matter. The questions it leaves us with can only be answered when Garry Kimovich consents to another biography. Which, I hope, will be sooner rather than later. A lot has happened since this book was written, and it would be interesting to see what GK makes of it all. So, Mr Kasparov, if you're reading this, get scribbling! Please?
Rating: 3
Summary: An inside look at Kasparov
Comment: This is not a great book, but it is a good book. Waitzkin gets to spend time with Kasparov before and during his last (5th) match with Karpov. There is a little biographical background about Kasparov scattered through the book. Most of the book concerns the time of the championship match. There is also a chapter on the Linares tournament that followed.
Some things I found interesting about the book: (1) the behind-the-scenes view of Kasparov's preparation for the match. (2) the political turmoil in the Soviet Union. Kasparov was working to end communism. (3) the descriptions of the games without moves and diagrams. (4) amusing anecdotes about the chess world. (5) a little bit of an update on Josh Waitzkin.
Warning: There are no game scores or analysis in this book. It is all talk. That was fine with me.
_Searching for Bobby Fischer_ was a much more interesting book to me. I recommend you read that one. If you love _Searching for Bobby Fischer_, you will like _Mortal Games_.
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Title: Life & Games of Mikhail Tal by Mikhail Tal ISBN: 1857442024 Publisher: Everyman Publishers Pub. Date: 01 November, 1997 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: My Best Games of Chess, 1908 - 1937 by Alexander Alekhine ISBN: 0486249417 Publisher: Dover Publications Pub. Date: 01 October, 1985 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Kasparov Vs. Karpov, 1990 (Pergamon Russian Chess Series) by Garry K. Kasparov ISBN: 008041110X Publisher: Globe Pequot Pr Pub. Date: 01 May, 1991 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy (Chess) by Irving Chernev ISBN: 0486273024 Publisher: Dover Publications Pub. Date: 06 November, 1992 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: My System: 21st Century Edition by Aron Nimzowitsch, Lou Hays ISBN: 1880673851 Publisher: Hays Publishing Pub. Date: 01 March, 1992 List Price(USD): $17.50 |
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