From the Bookshelf of The Roundtable…

Chess Story

Stefan Zweig

Start date: December 1, 2020

Finish date: December 31, 2020

Discussion: 2020 Novella Tournament

Discussion leader: Christopher

Why we're reading this: December 2020 Novella Tournament
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2020 Novella Tournament

The Fifth Child (Dec. 2020 Novella Tournament)
By Christopher · 32 posts · 22 views

last updated Sep 09, 2021 10:17AM

Passing (Nov. 2020 Novella Tournament)
By Christopher · 30 posts · 21 views

last updated Mar 03, 2021 08:06AM

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What Members Thought

Mar 31, 2018 Henk rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

A feverish and unsettling story which uses chess to pit two skilfully crafted opponents against each other. The sense of loneliness in mr B. his story is powerfull and the story intriged me to read on and on.

26 likes · Like · see review

Apr 28, 2015 Christopher rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nameless-characters, 20th-century, novellas, fiction

RE-READ DECEMBER 2020: Marking this up to five stars. Last time around, I enjoyed the oh-so readable prose and mysterious characters, but this time I think I've delved a bit deeper. This is a story of theory vs. reality, of trauma's hold on individuals, of the viciousness of weird dudes on ships to South America. This is a sharp, quick jab of a story, and it's the best type of short novel.

ORIGINAL REVIEW APRIL 2015 (4 stars): You're on a passenger ship crossing from somewhere to somewhere differ ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Dec 10, 2020 Irene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

In this novella, a chess game between two masters is a metaphor for…. Both players of the game are accidental geniuses. One, an orphan believed to be cognitively limited, absorbs the game by quietly watching it played by mediocre adults. With no formal training, he becomes a world champion. The other played chess matches in his head, guided by a smuggled book of plays, an activity that kept him sane during endless months of solidary confinement. The writing is clear, compelling and crisp. My onl ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Sep 06, 2014 Wendy rated it really liked it

Shelves: nazi-germany, literary-fiction, in-translation, 1001-books, read-more-than-once, nyrb, 2020

21 Dec 2020: Re-read this one and still enjoyed it, despite having little memory of what it was about. The contrast of the two master chess players is rife with symbolism (as I apparently picked up on last time), and I find the concept of isolation leading to a sort of forced chess mastery (and madness) really fascinating. And I'm embarrassed to admit that the thought crossed my mind of "if only I'd been more focused in quarantine, I could be an amazing chess player by now" (not really. I'm kidd ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 19, 2012 Dawn rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics

This is possibly the best short story I have ever read. Despite is lack of large numbers in pages this book really packs a punch. Dramatic without being over the top and psychological without being creepy. Fantastic.

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