This is a short story in little book format (a 'Penguing Mini Modern Classic'), bought for me by Caroline. It's a musing on the nature of intellectual obsession, told in the form of a story about a chess match. It's a fun enough short story, but I think it's a bit weak on its core underlying ideas! While I'm no expert chess player, I've had my share of intellectual obsessions, and in the story it doesn't ring true, either in the specifics of chess (more than a few months practice are required to become an expert, even if obsessed), and in the general context of obsession. As such, it's quite fun, but lacks any real underlying meaning.
Posted 2011-03-02.