The King: Chess Pieces

The King: Chess Pieces is an English-language chess book by J.H. Donner that reads more like a sharp, personal essay collection than a standard manual. It brings together irony, humour and autobiography, using chess as a way to talk about people, ambition, failure and the oddities of tournament life.

What this book is about

The King gathers more than thirty years of Donner’s writing, showing the shift from a chess player who wrote to a writer who looked at chess from his own uncompromising angle. His recurring subjects include Bobby Fischer, blunders, chance in chess, madness, provocation and his long rivalry with Lodewijk Prins.

This is a book for readers who want more than games and annotations. Donner is often biting and unsparing, but he is just as willing to turn the irony on himself, which keeps the writing lively even when the subject matter becomes serious or personal.

One line captures the tone well:

"After I resigned the last game with perfect self-control and solemnly shook hands with my opponent in the best of Anglo-Saxon traditions, I rushed home where I threw myself onto my bed, howling and screaming, and pulled the blankets over my face."

Why it stands out

This is the first full, unabridged English edition of a classic chess book. It will appeal to chess readers, but it also suits anyone who enjoys essayistic writing, strong authorial voice and a close look at chess culture from the inside. Shortlisted for English Chess Federation Book of the Year 2006, it has a clear place among notable English-language chess publications.

At 390 pages, it is substantial enough to belong in a serious chess library, and it also makes a thoughtful gift for a chess reader.

Key details

• Product type: chess book
• Author: J.H. Donner
• Language: English
• Edition: first full, unabridged English edition
• Content style: essayistic and autobiographical chess writing with irony and humour
• Award shortlist: shortlisted for English Chess Federation Book of the Year 2006
• Page count: 390 pages