The Immortal Game

"Fascinating... [Shenk] writes about chess history with contagious zest."
Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Shenk weaves a masterful tale that all readers can enjoy, no matter how little they know about chess."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Fun, factual, and a good read... Not a reference book to be stored on a shelf [but] a book to be read and enjoyed, and even read again... buy this book!"
Chess Life magazine

"A thrilling tour... an engaging, colorful look at a world that blissfully remains black-and-white."
Entertainment Weekly

"Shenk, a spry writer... [offers] a strong case for the game's bewitching power."
The New York Times

"Fresh and fascinating... a world-spanning story [Shenk] relates with skill and verve."
Chicago Sun-Times

"Before reading David Shenk's wonderful new book, I had at best a casual interest in chess. It seemed too ancient to untangle, too complex to decipher with any real appreciation. But Shenk, in a book filled with daring moves and cunning patience, has made a believer out of me."
—Stephen J. Dubner, coauthor of Freakonomics

"I loved this book. Full of burning enthusiasm for the greatest intellectual game in the world, it shows just what can happen when an accomplished author, full of fire and passion, tackles a most wonderful and intricate story. Like a great chess game, this is an achievement that will be talked about for many years to come."
—Simon Winchester, author of A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 and The Professor and the Madman

"It's audacious enough to write a book about the world's most written-about game. To say something fresh and smart seems almost unfair. But that's just what David Shenk has done. With the depth and insight of a grandmaster, The Immortal Game explores and explains not only the addictive power of chess but its shockingly important, Zelig-like role in the history of humankind."
—Stefan Fatsis, author of Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players

"David Shenk takes us millennia back and light years ahead. The Immortal Game is an insightful look at chess, the icons of culture it has inspired, and the surprising part the game plays in the narrative of the modern world."
—Bruce Pandolfini, legendary chess instructor and author, Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess

"A globe-spanning, brain-stretching social history... Shenk's curiosity equips the reader to look at a board of chess pieces and understand what got them there and the endless places they could go."
Paste Magazine

"An enriching and inviting prism through which to view and better understand history in general."
Albuquerque Journal

"An excellent book . . . Shenk connects chess to our culture. He explores its historical roots and he tells good stories along the way."
Words on Books, KZYX-FM (Philo CA)

"[A] fine book...enjoy the author's engaging prose, honest self-deprecation, and the charm of his personal connection with the game."
Washington Post

"Everyone, from expert to patzer, will find something to admire about Shenk's investigation into our most-beloved board game."
The Wichita Eagle

"Some of us have loved the game of chess all of our lives. Others, like book author David Shenk, discovered their passion as an adult. But we all profit from his late-blooming interest with 'The Immortal Game.'"
Washington Times

"Compelling...guaranteed to send the reader to acquire a chessboard."
Indian Express

"A readable, well-researched romp... Shenk is likely to fire up newcomers to chess."
Bloomberg News

"Elegant... a true page-turner, and a superb introduction to the game of chess."
Wall Street Journal

"Clear, elegant, sophisticated and easy to understand...just the thing to get you in the thrall of this ancient game."
The Los Angeles Times

"Brilliantly conceived . . . You won't find a more lucid and captivating exploration of [chess]."
The Toronto Star