The Last Gambit

Last one month has been a whirlwind of hectic work schedules, takeout dinners and rushed travels. So in between all this, reading took a far backseat and so did my posts on ID. Midway through the month, guilt caught up with me and I rummaged through my mini library for a light read that didn't ask for too much commitment on emotions or time.  

I found this book "The Last Gambit" by Om Swami which I had bought during one of my long waits at the airport, lying tucked far back in the book shelf and completely forgotten. Turned out to be a good breather of a book to cover for my long period of absence here. That's not to say I am not returning back to my game in the coming days ;)  

Anyway, the book itself is a very quick breezy read and is a good starting point inspiration for chess amateurs like me. The book is about a young boy Vasu, who through a rather chance encounter, meets his "guru" who agrees to train him in the art and science of chess, only if Vasu agrees not to dig into his identity. It courses through 8 years of their relationship which silently goes beyond chess to become more familial. While the guru continues to maintain his anonymous status in the society and with Vasu, destiny unravels parts of his identity from time to time to Vasu and his family. It finally culminates in revealing the full identity of the guru amidst Vasu's world chess championship. 

At any other point of time, I'd have wished for the book to be more technical from a chess game point of view but I was thankful for its lightness. The literature itself is not very heavy or complicated and neither is the book too lengthy, given I finished the book in three sittings of an hour each over evening tea and munches. It did however, make me want to dust out my chess board and play a game by myself.