Kingly Gift

I BUY a lot of chess books, as testified by the Chess Tip of The Day section I have introduced to my blog, entirely culled from books and magazines I own.

Recently I have cut down on my buying, although I succumbed to temptation at the Chess & Bridge stall at the British championships in Liverpool this month.

I bought Arkell's Endings - after all, if Keith Arkell cannot help my endgame play, who can?

However, one book I would never have bought is The King - Chess Pieces by Dutch grandmaster Jan Donner.

It is a collection of Donner's writings, starting 75 years ago, when he was covering the chess world, both as a participant and an observer, for various Dutch periodicals.

One problem with much journalism is that it is inevitably dated.

But that is not a problem with The King, at least not for me, as it is extremely difficult to play chess at any reasonable level without picking up much of the game's history.

And it is fascinating to read Donner's thoughts - many of them acerbically expressed - as events unfolded.

Here he is after Mikhail Tal in 1959 won the right to play Mikhail Botvinnik for the world championship: "The odds are in Tal's favour. One thing though I will venture to predict: if Tal is to conquer the world title, he will not keep it for long. He is too much of a gambler. Tal may win the world championship but he won't be able to defend it."

Other opinions, especially on women being too "stupid" to play chess, sit less well, even  though it is obvious Donner at times is more interested in being controversially offensive than insightfully truthful.

So how come I am reading, and, more importantly, enjoying, a book I would not have spent a penny on?

Quiet simple - it was a gift from a Dutch friend, and a very well-received one.

The King - a kingly gift