The History of Chess in Fifty Moves

In 50 concise chapters, Price (History's Greatest Decisions) colorfully traces the journey of chess from India (where it began as the game chaturanga) to Persia, its dissemination through the West and ultimately the world, and its latest transformation into a digital game played over the Internet. Price convincingly explores the early history of chess and the social contexts that have supported it to the present: royal courts, coffee houses, parks, and Soviet schools, to name a few. Price invites readers into the game and introduces them to the varied strategies of modern masters, including Andr%C3%A9 Danican Philidor and the utilization of the pawn, the aggression of the Romantics, the use of positional play by Howard Staunton, and the tactical considerations of Hypermoderns. This is not an overly technical book, and famous moves such as the Sicilian Defense and Nimzo-Indian Defense are only really mentioned in passing. However, with the focus on the characters who loomed large and the environments that they helped shape, this is a great book to orient casual readers and direct them to other sources according to their interest. It is attractively designed with plenty of photos and illustrations. (Sept.)