The immortal game : a history of chess, or how 32 carved pieces on a board illuminated our understanding of war, art, science, and the human brain
Chess is the most enduring and universal game in history. Here, bestselling author David Shenk chronicles its intriguing saga, from ancient Persia to medieval Europe to the dens of Benjamin Franklin and Norman Schwarzkopf. Along the way, he examines a single legendary game that took place in London in 1851 between two masters of the time, and relays his own attempts to become as skilled as his Polish ancestor Samuel Rosenthal, a nineteenth-century champion. With its blend of cultural history and Shenk's personal interest, The Immortal Game is a compelling guide for novices and aficionados alike. From the Trade Paperback edition
eBook, English, 2007, ©2006
1st Anchor books ed View all formats and editions
Anchor Books, New York, 2007, ©2006
History
1 online resource : illustrations
9780307387660, 9781283997614, 0307387666, 1283997614
793345308
Prologue
Introduction
Pieces and moves
"Understanding is the essential weapon", chess and our origins
The immortal game: move 1
House of wisdom, chess and Muslim renaissance
The immortal game: move 2
The morals of men and the duties of nobles and commoners, chess and medieval obligation
The immortal game: move 3
Making men circumspect, modern chess, the accumulation of knowledge, and the march to infinity
The immortal game: moves 4 and 5
Benjamin Franklin's opera, chess and the Enlightenment
The immortal game: moves 6 and 7
The emperor and the immigrant, chess and the unexpected gifts of war
The immortal game: moves 8 and 9
Chunking and tasking, chess and the working mind
The immortal game: moves 10 and 11
"Into its vertiginous depths", chess and the shattered mind
The immortal game: moves 12-16
A victorious synthesis, chess and totalitarianism in the twentieth century
The immortal game: moves 17-19
Beautiful problems, chess and modernity
The immortal game: moves 20 and 21
"We are sharing our world with another species. One that gets smarter and more independent every year", chess and the new machine intelligence
The immortal game: moves 22 and 23 (checkmate)
The next war, chess and the future of human intelligence
Appendix I: The rules of chess
Appendix II: The immortal game (recap) and five other great games
Appendix III: Benjamin Franklin's "The morals of chess."