HOW LIFE IMITATES CHESS by Garry Kasparov

Heinemann £20 pp262

THE KINGS OF NEW YORK A Year Among the Oddballs, Geeks and Geniuses Who Make up America’s Top High School Chess Team by Michael Weinreb

Yellow Jersey Press £11.99 pp320

My one-time nemesis, Garry Kasparov, has been in the news a lot of late, exposing the autocratic and repressive nature of Putin’s regime, or perhaps simply making trouble (depending on one’s point of view) and getting arrested in the process. Whether Kasparov will succeed in his ambition to become the next president of Russia is questionable, as it would appear that his antagonist has several extra boxes of pieces to deploy on the political chessboard, should it prove necessary. However, with his great forcefulness, intelligence and courage, it would be foolish to write him off.

Kasparov’s latest work is of a genre beloved of airport booksellers in which the author (usually a CEO) seduces the reader with the idea that he, too, can become rich, famous and doubtless successful with the opposite sex by following a few examples culled from his life. In essence, it is a bit of a confidence trick, in which the buyer willingly colludes. Alas, few of the lessons that Kasparov has learnt during his brilliant chess career are entirely applicable elsewhere. Chess is inherently destructive. Kasparov never asked his pawns or pieces whether they liked to be sacrificed – he just did it. Real life involves negotiation and compromise – not areas in which he excels, to put it mildly. In fairness, he recognises his own inadequacy here, but finesses it, all too glibly alas, by saying there is no climate for democratic debate in Russia at the moment. Even when comparing ostensibly analogous fields such as chess and war, he strains to draw close and instructive parallels: can a general in Iraq, for example, dealing with hidden insurgents and suicide bombers (not everyday worries on the chess board), really benefit much from Kasparov’s wisdom?

In his striving for general applicability Kasparov, or perhaps I should say his ghost-writer Michael Greengard, who all but boasts of having written the tome on his website, descends into a plethora of platitudes. That is not to dismiss the book completely: platitudes have their purpose, but does one need a genius such as Kasparov for that? Perhaps the most practical advice is for would-be philanderers: one should never conceal the fact that one is married because (according to scientific studies, allegedly) women are more likely to be attracted to married men. I must remember to bear that in mind.

One group who would greatly benefit from Kasparov’s sagacity – if they can be prised away from their poker addictions – are the pupils of the Edward R Murrow School in Brooklyn who feature in Michael Weinreb’s The Kings of New York. High-school chess in America is booming and Edward R Murrow School is the brightest star in the firmament. Much of the credit for the tremendous success of the chess team there belongs to the energetic teacher, Eliot Weiss, who, lacking the easy financial resources of the school’s privately funded competitors, has tirelessly devoted himself to recruiting, cajoling, publicising and fundraising over the past few decades. It is an uplifting story in many ways, and yet one that inadvertently reveals a deep malaise at the heart of the American game. It is striking that virtually all of the really talented pupils, most of whom originate from Eastern Europe, were noticeably gifted before they set foot in the school. They are provided with important logistical support and encouragement but deplorably almost no coaching. There is a pervasive lack of discipline – late-night gambling sessions during tournaments being the norm for many. The tournaments themselves are played at inanely fast time controls, which encourages superficiality and debauches standards. While the brightest compete successfully with their international peers at this age, the deeply ingrained ruinous habits learnt during these vital years guarantee that few will carry their triumphs into the adult arena.

Available at Sunday Times Books First prices of £18 (Kasparov) and £10.99 (including p&p) on 0870 165 8585 and timesonline.co.uk/booksfirst

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