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The Immortal Game: A History of Chess Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 494 ratings

A surprising, charming, and ever-fascinating history of the seemingly simple game that has had a profound effect on societies the world over.

Why has one game, alone among the thousands of games invented and played throughout human history, not only survived but thrived within every culture it has touched? What is it about its 32 figurative pieces, moving about its 64 black and white squares according to very simple rules, that has captivated people for nearly 1,500 years? Why has it driven some of its greatest players into paranoia and madness, and yet is hailed as a remarkably powerful educational tool?

Nearly everyone has played chess at some point in their lives. Its rules and pieces have served as a metaphor for society including military strategy, mathematics, artificial intelligence, literature, and the arts. It has been condemned as the devil’s game by popes, rabbis, and imams, and lauded as a guide to proper living by different popes, rabbis, and imams.

In his wide-ranging and ever fascinating examination of chess, David Shenk gleefully unearths the hidden history of a game that seems so simple yet contains infinity. From its invention somewhere in India around 500 A.D., to its enthusiastic adoption by the Persians and its spread by Islamic warriors, to its remarkable use as a moral guide in the Middle Ages and its political utility in the Enlightenment, to its crucial importance in the birth of cognitive science and its key role in the new aesthetic of modernism in 20th century art, to its 21st century importance to the development of artificial intelligence and use as a teaching tool in inner-city America, chess has been a remarkably omnipresent factor in the development of civilization.

Indeed as Shenk shows, some neuroscientists believe that playing chess may actually alter the structure of the brain, that it may for individuals be what it has been for civilization: a virus that makes us smarter.

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Product details

Listening Length 8 hours and 5 minutes
Author David Shenk
Narrator John H. Mayer
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date September 11, 2006
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B000IJ7HZ4
Best Sellers Rank #31,022 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#52 in Chess (Books)
#67 in Popular Culture Studies
#227 in World History (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
494 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides an engaging history of chess while analyzing a famous game. They describe it as an interesting and enjoyable read with well-written content that opens up new intellectual perspectives. The writing quality is described as good and the book is well-organized. Readers appreciate the insight into a complex subject and how the book explains each piece.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

48 customers mention "History"46 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the book's history of chess. They find it fascinating and well-written, with interesting stories and insights into the game. The book provides a general overview of the game while analyzing a famous game. Readers appreciate the mix of chess history and actual games, making it an engaging read for both experts and novices.

"...This book will be of interest to all, from chess expert to novice to the non-player who merely wants an entertaining education about the world's..." Read more

"...The book also does a good job describing not only the development of chess in history, but also the development of chess games in terms of opening,..." Read more

"...I should add this is not a chess training book, this is a story about the history of chess the author did a great job, and included himself into the..." Read more

"...It traces the history of Chess through the ages. It also gives an in-depth study of the famous Immortal Game..." Read more

41 customers mention "Readability"41 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and enjoyable. They appreciate the entertaining trivia about chess and the well-annotated move-by-move format. The book is described as a pleasant surprise that provides hours of enjoyment on a journey through chessic time. Readers praise the author's outstanding research and writing style.

"...This book is so welcome and necessary because it looks at the big picture of chess... from a distance, through the years, chess through a "..." Read more

"...It surprised me that the book was so well-written and entertaining as I read it...." Read more

"...And this is one I have long waited for. In short this book was a great windfall, one I was lucky to find." Read more

"top notch....well written, interesting stories, great format idea. would recommend to anyone, chess player or not." Read more

26 customers mention "Writing quality"21 positive5 negative

Customers find the book well-written and entertaining. They appreciate the well-described history of chess and good storytelling. The book is described as a smart outline.

"...is a fun to read and a page turner, and while it delights, it also instructs. Not so much as how to play the game, but perhaps why...." Read more

"...The book also does a good job describing not only the development of chess in history, but also the development of chess games in terms of opening,..." Read more

"...training book, this is a story about the history of chess the author did a great job, and included himself into the story, definitely recommend." Read more

"top notch....well written, interesting stories, great format idea. would recommend to anyone, chess player or not." Read more

6 customers mention "Encyclopedia content"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides insightful information about a complex subject in a readable way. It explains each piece, how they move, and what the game is about. The book opens up exciting intellectual horizons by covering history, psychology, philosophy, and implications for the game. It also details the evolution of the pieces and rules until the end of the 15th chapter.

"...An insightful look at the history, pyschology, philosophy, and implications for the future of the world's oldest and greatest game...." Read more

"...the history of the game as far as possible and outlines the evolution of the pieces and rules until the end of the 15th century when chess became..." Read more

"...heard of the game of chess before, that is not a problem, the book explains each peice, how they move, and what the rules are...." Read more

"...The author writes in a very readable way about a complex subject." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2007
    and what an interesting world it is. An insightful look at the history, pyschology, philosophy, and implications for the future of the world's oldest and greatest game.

    This book should please chess lovers, as it is a rare thing in the crowded gamut of chess books... a broad survey of the game. Many of us play the game, and we study chess books and chess software, we play computer progams and human opponents, but perhaps we do not stop to look at the game from a distance. This book does that for us. And there is much we can learn, in my opinion.

    Mr. Shenk is a talented and capable writer, and he has done his work well. He builds on his personal relationship with the game. While he is not an avid player, his great great great grandfather was a Grandmaster. The book is a fun to read and a page turner, and while it delights, it also instructs. Not so much as how to play the game, but perhaps why.

    Chess is the world's 3rd biggest sport. It was supposed to be killed by the computer - and yet paradoxically the computer has greatly enhanced the game. It is one of the oldest games and yet it defies mastery. This book looks at this and more, from wacky Grandmasters to precocious school kids and dedicated patzers. It examines the history of chess in ancient Persia, to Bobby Fischer versus Spassky in Iceland to Big Blue versus Kasparof in New York.

    Most chess books place the game of chess under a "microscope" - they analyze one specific aspect of the game, by breaking the game into pieces with diagrams and algebraic notion. This book is so welcome and necessary because it looks at the big picture of chess... from a distance, through the years, chess through a "telescope".

    My only critique is that I wish the book had been even longer!
    This book will be of interest to all, from chess expert to novice to the non-player who merely wants an entertaining education about the world's greatest game.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2013
    I've played chess off and on in my life but never really felt confident about my chess ability. I bought this book to learn more about the history of the game and to try to gain a better understanding of the importance of chess. It surprised me that the book was so well-written and entertaining as I read it.

    The book gives the history of the game as far as possible and outlines the evolution of the pieces and rules until the end of the 15th century when chess became what we know it as today. The author does a great job of telling the history of chess factually and with stories about the game in antiquity. After the solidification of chess David Shenk goes on to describe the progression of chess theory in broad strokes and outlines the different chess schools; Romantic, Scientific, and Hypermodern. As a novice, I found the descriptions of this progression to be fascinating. He did a magnificent job conveying the ideas of tactics and strategy as applied to chess games.

    The book also does a good job describing not only the development of chess in history, but also the development of chess games in terms of opening, middle game, and end game. The entire book contains a thread based on the Immortal Game and gives the moves and structure of that match throughout. It was amazing as a novice to catch the excitement of that game to the point where I couldn't just read the book linearly, I had to jump ahead to see how the game ended!

    If you have an interest in the history and importance of chess in the world, I highly recommend this book. It was fascinating throughout and makes me want to study chess a bit more seriously in the future.
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2024
    I love the way it’s written, great book for any chess player. I should add this is not a chess training book, this is a story about the history of chess the author did a great job, and included himself into the story, definitely recommend.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2008
    This is the book I always thought, "interesting but I have a lot to read." I was also disappointed because I thought from the review on the jacket that it was about chess in general instead of the famous game.
    Well, as I found when I got it on my Kindle it was both. It traces the history of Chess through the ages. It also gives an in-depth study of the famous Immortal Game(a notable game played between two masters in a London Gentleman's Club), with illustrations and analysis of every move, which is great as I simply don't have the gift of making a mind picture out of notation. The book is written in an engaging style and gives charming anecdotes. It is not written in a the style of a typical chess manuel but in a way an average reader can comprehend and enjoy.
    The book is hardly perfect and I have noticed flaws about general history. But that is pedantry; perfection is impossible. What the book gives is well worth it. What it gives is a rich tapestry of the lore of the Game of Kings is what makes the book worth reading.
    The book, on the whole is just what I wanted. A history of chess and chess folklore written in a charming manner. I love the type of book that traces the history and legends surrounding some particular commodity or item and have been wanting something about chess for a long time. Chess is so much a thing of legend that it begs for a book like this. And this is one I have long waited for. In short this book was a great windfall, one I was lucky to find.
    13 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2024
    top notch....well written, interesting stories, great format idea. would recommend to anyone, chess player or not.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Sue in Dorset
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great present
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2024
    This book was hard to find but this second hand copy was in great condition and delivered speedily. Thank you
  • MAYANK TRIVEDi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Immortal you become.
    Reviewed in India on April 18, 2022
    Once in a century game doom for Lionel Kieseritzky He died in a Paris mental hospital after this game.
  • Daniel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on October 4, 2016
    Nice book
  • carlo
    2.0 out of 5 stars The immortal game
    Reviewed in Italy on March 5, 2016
    Libro interessante per gli appassionati del settore, il carattere di stampa del formato cartaceo, almeno per la copia che ho ricevuto, è però poco nitido.
  • AWM
    5.0 out of 5 stars A history for chess romantics.
    Reviewed in Australia on September 12, 2016
    I really enjoyed this accessible history of Chess by David Shenk. The book interweaves the history of the game told between chapters analysing the so called Immortal game played between Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky on 21st June 1851 (played as a social game during a break from the London Tournament). This particular game itself has great romantic appeal though many of current chess lovers would not rate the game so highly based on today's technical standards. As a fairly average player myself I like the romantic era and enjoyed the time spent analysing the particular game which made helpful breaks from the chapters on chronological history. From those chapters I gleaned things that I hadn't read elsewhere about the different eras of chess play and particularly the memory testing done on Chess players. No doubt there are more in-depth histories out there but this is very readable as a first dip into chess history and I felt it was akin to Bill Price's History of Chess in Fifty Moves which I have in hardback and is an equally enjoyable read. More than happy to recommend this study of the immortal game's immortal game.