Mortal Games

by Fred Waitzkin

An inside look at the genius of chess player Garry Kasparov discusses his match against his sworn enemy, Anatoly Karpov, his tireless efforts to bring down Gorbachev, and his chess skills.

Genres: Chess, Nonfiction

302 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Fred Waitzkin was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1943. When he was a teenager he wavered between wanting to spend his life as a fisherman, Afro Cuban drummer or novelist. He went to Kenyon College and did graduate study at New York University. His work has appeared in Esquire, New York magazine, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the New York Times Book Review, Outside, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, the Huffington Post, and the Daily Beast, among other publications. His memoir, Searching for Bobby Fischer, was made into a major motion picture released in 1993. His other books are Mortal Games, The Last Marlin, and The Dream Merchant. Recently, he has completed an original screenplay, The Rave. Waitzkin lives in Manhattan with his wife, Bonnie, and has two children, Josh and Katya, and two grandsons, Jack and Charlie. He spends as much time as possible on the bridge of his old boat, The Ebb Tide, trolling baits off distant islands with his family. His novel, Deep Water Blues, will be published in spring 2019. You can find more on Fred Waitzkin at his website or check out some exclusive content on Facebook.

Reviews

[Skallagrimsen]

Mortal Games details the battle of calculation, concentration, imagination, psychology, memory, cunning, endurance, and willpower that took place between Anatoly Karpov and Gary Kasparov to claim the crown of chess champion of the world. I was just getting into a chess for the first time when I read it, so it might have appealed to me especially for that reason, but my sense is one needn't be a player to appreciate it. Fred Waitzkhin is a talented and perceptive writer, and does a great job immersing the reader in the events. This book is also noteworthy for shedding light on Soviet society and politics in what turned out to be the Union's twilight years, and for serving as a thematic sequel to Waitzkhin's earlier and more famous book Searching for Bobby Fischer. The worst thing I can say about Mortal Games is that I didn't think it quite as good as End Game, by Dominic Lawson, which detailed the later championship match between Kasparov and Nigel Short.

[Michael Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting and fun read that any chess fan should read.

[Chad]

I first saw a copy of this book at our local chess club. It’s clearly an older book and from the style of the cover I blew it off as likely a puff piece biography and gave it no more thought.

I came across it again on Amazon and noticed for the first time that it was written by Fred Waitzkin. For those who don’t know, Waitzkin also wrote the book, Searching For Bobby Fischer. The boy in that book which became the movie - Josh - is his son. Having just read Searching, I grabbed a copy of this for my kindle.

First off, what I really like about this book is how it inadvertently corrects what I think was a disservice done to Waitzkin in the film. From the way he is written, you get the impression that his knowledge of chess ended at knowing how the pieces move and maybe with an understanding of what checkmate meant. The reality is that Waitzkin had far more of a grasp of the game and from this book seems pretty well connected with the chess world. I’m not suggesting that he’s a grandmaster or anything but from this book you can clearly see someone who has had a lifelong love of chess.

Also, for fans of Searching For Bobby Fischer, there are moments when some appearances and references to familiar people gives this almost the feel of a sequel. I was impressed at how close he and Josh seemed to be at times with Kasparov.

As to this book specifically, Waitzkin was given the opportunity for unprecedented access to Garry Kasparov and his team as they participated in what would be the third and final world championship match against Anatoly Karpov.

Growing up, I was always a fan of Kasparov but to be honest I couldn’t really tell you why. My own skill at chess was nowhere near the point where I could have followed along with his matches or understood how he played. He was just one of those rare names that become synonymous with greatness and dominance. He was to chess what Michael Jordan was to basketball. What Pete Sampras or Steffi Graf was to tennis. There has always been the enigma of Kasparov, the brooding genius who intimidated the chess landscape for over a decade.

Waitzkin paints a fascinating picture and while he clearly has respect for Kasparov, he also isn’t just constantly heaping praise on the champion. He humanized Kasparov to an impressive degree. Before this book, all I knew of Kasparov was of his intimidating persona and a voice from interviews that sounds like a great Bond villain. Waitzkin weaves the story of the championship match into that of Kasparov’s backstory as well as the chaotic events happening in what would prove to be the end of the Soviet Union. Kasparov’s own story in terms of his wartime experiences casts a tragic light on the personal struggles he was dealing with while clashing with Karpov over the board.

This book presents a fascinating look behind the curtains and offers a glimpse at what world championship preparation looks like and it was a read that I found highly enjoyable as well as educational.

[DropOfOcean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read about being in the Kasparov’s ”inner circle” and unfolding the 1990 world championship and bit of events before and after that. Weakest part is actual game descriptions and chess content in general. While they may somewhat understandable to people who don’t play chess, they do make those who do cringe.

[Jay C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written “behind the scenes” account of former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, mostly centered around his 1990 match with Anatoly Karpov (also a former world champ). Lots more than chess, though, and the chess doesn’t get so technical that a non-chessplayer wouldn’t enjoy it.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very personal look into the mind of a chess genius. It also serves as a coda to Waitzkin`s Looking for Bobby, as we see his son Josh ~six years on, playing blitz chess with Kasparov.

[Firoze Cassim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting insight into Kasparov's character, his involvement in Azerbaijani politics and the tension around his 1990 world championship match with Karpov .

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book. This is the 2nd time I've read it. I play chess --poorly-- but I was inspired to go out and purchase the latest Chessmaster software because of the elegance of the game.
The book also gives insight into the terrible turmoils in the development of Russia as a nation.
The Russian people are wonderful, their leaders not so much.

[Tom Richards]

Back to the 90s! An interesting visit to the time before computers became best at everything. The Kasparov/Karpov rivalry, like the Fischer/Spassky match about 20 years before, had overtones of Capitalism vs Communism.

[Pablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chess geniuses are often fascinatingly weird people, it seems. Kasparov fits right into that picture frame. Brilliant, enigmatic, difficult and sometimes inspiring while obviously scintillating as a chess player, this book covers a great deal of ground and does it quite well. Solid 4 stars !!

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chess-related parts of this book were not exactly good. Insights into Kasparov's character is what makes the book worth reading. Fred Waitzkin seems to have a certain 'psychologist's gift'. Overall quite interesting and informative.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look into the mind and personality of one of the world's greatest chess players.