Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How A Lone American Star Defeated the Soviet Chess Machine (P.S.) - Softcover

Edmonds, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060510250 ISBN 13: 9780060510251

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2005

Synopsis

In the summer of 1972, with a presidential crisis stirring in the United States and the cold war at a pivotal point, the Soviet world chess champion, Boris Spassky, and his American challenger, Bobby Fischer, met in Reykjavik, Iceland, for the most notorious chess match of all time. Their showdown, played against the backdrop of superpower politics, held the world spellbound for two months with reports of psychological warfare, ultimatums, political intrigue, cliffhangers, and farce to rival a Marx Brothers film. Thirty years later, David Edmonds and John Eidinow have set out to reexamine the story we recollect as the quintessential cold war clash between a lone American star and the Soviet chess machine. A mesmerizing narrative of brilliance and triumph, hubris and despair, Bobby Fischer Goes to War is a biting deconstruction of the Bobby Fischer myth, a nuanced study on the art of brinkmanship, and a revelatory cold war tragicomedy.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

About this title

Review

"Readers will savor a marvelous portrait of East against West, with perceived societal superiority as the real prize."--Kirkus Reviews

"The finest addendum ever to the 1972 chess world championship.'"--Los Angeles Times

"Engagingly written... a real page-turner!"--Library Journal

"Note to Hollywood: It's Miracle meets A Beautiful Mind. Get on it."--Entertainment Weekly

"David Edmonds and John Eidinow have penned a delightful book about the politics of that legendary match."--Washington Times

"Superbly researched.... Bobby Fischer Goes to War fills an important gab in the literature on this showdown."--Florida Sun-Sentinel

"[A] praiseworthy, terrific book... marvelous."--Chess Life

"Enthralling.... Edmonds and Eidinow are ideal guides through the history and psychology of chess."--San Francisco Chronicle

"The book will be one of the major sources of history for new generations of chess players."--Boston Globe

"[An] intriguing look at the world of competitive chess, circa 1972.... Good reading, especially for chess buffs."--Booklist

Book Description

Bobby Fischer Goes to War by David Edmonds and John Eidinow details the occasion when Bobby Fischer met Boris Spassky in one of the most thrilling and politically charged chess matches of all time.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0060510250
• ISBN 13: 9780060510251
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384