The Immortal Game by David Shenk
The Immortal Game: A History of Chess or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science, and the Human Brain, by David Shenk, reviewd by Tom Birch, Zauel Library
(Doubleday, 2006, 326 pages, $26.00)
Believed to have originated in India some 1,500 years ago, the game of chess has managed to transcend religious edicts, oceans, wars, language barriers and vast spans of time. Like the Bible and the Internet, chess as we know it today is the result of many years of tinkering by many different people from many different cultures. By the time it emerged from Persia around the fifth century, it closely resembled today’s two-player war game, with 32 pieces on a 64 square board, and the objective of capturing the opponent’s King. Tracing chess’s migration from Islamic Persia and into northern Africa and southern Europe, is also a way of tracking man’s transmission of knowledge from east to west.
(Doubleday, 2006, 326 pages, $26.00)
Believed to have originated in India some 1,500 years ago, the game of chess has managed to transcend religious edicts, oceans, wars, language barriers and vast spans of time. Like the Bible and the Internet, chess as we know it today is the result of many years of tinkering by many different people from many different cultures. By the time it emerged from Persia around the fifth century, it closely resembled today’s two-player war game, with 32 pieces on a 64 square board, and the objective of capturing the opponent’s King. Tracing chess’s migration from Islamic Persia and into northern Africa and southern Europe, is also a way of tracking man’s transmission of knowledge from east to west.
posted by Sherrill | 10:14 AM
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