The Moves that Matter
A Chess Grandmaster on the Game of Life
Published on 14. November 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-5266-0386-9 (ISBN)
Description
From Grandmaster and three-time British Chess Champion, a passionate exploration of what it means to find fulfilment and lasting value in life
Chess is just a game in the way that the heart is just a muscle
Long known as a cut-throat metaphor for warfare or business, this ancient game of strategy and self-discipline is revealed to be a singularly powerful metaphor for the challenges, thrills, and set-backs that invest our daily lives with meaning and complexity.
Jonathan Rowson's competitive success as a Grandmaster and work as an applied philosopher have given him a unique perspective on why the game of chess is more important than ever for understanding the conflicts and uncertainties of the modern world. In sixty-four witty and addictive vignettes, Rowson takes us on an exhilarating tour of his 'lessons for the game of life', from the psychology of gang violence, to the aesthetics of cyborgs, the beauty of technical details, and the final endgame of death itself. Chess emerges as a rich and endlessly suggestive way of thinking about the desires that shape the world around us.
The Moves That Matter celebrates the redeeming power of intense concentration, but it also offers a humane and compassionate account of how every individual exists as part of a wider community. Jonathan Rowson reveals, one move at a time, what it means to love or care deeply in the intricate game of life.
Chess is just a game in the way that the heart is just a muscle
Long known as a cut-throat metaphor for warfare or business, this ancient game of strategy and self-discipline is revealed to be a singularly powerful metaphor for the challenges, thrills, and set-backs that invest our daily lives with meaning and complexity.
Jonathan Rowson's competitive success as a Grandmaster and work as an applied philosopher have given him a unique perspective on why the game of chess is more important than ever for understanding the conflicts and uncertainties of the modern world. In sixty-four witty and addictive vignettes, Rowson takes us on an exhilarating tour of his 'lessons for the game of life', from the psychology of gang violence, to the aesthetics of cyborgs, the beauty of technical details, and the final endgame of death itself. Chess emerges as a rich and endlessly suggestive way of thinking about the desires that shape the world around us.
The Moves That Matter celebrates the redeeming power of intense concentration, but it also offers a humane and compassionate account of how every individual exists as part of a wider community. Jonathan Rowson reveals, one move at a time, what it means to love or care deeply in the intricate game of life.
Reviews / Votes
At a time when we urgently need new ways to think about the challenge of creating a meaningful life - far more than we need conventional self-help advice - Jonathan Rowson has written a powerfully unconventional and mind-expanding book. This work is a fascinating insight into the inner world of the chess Grandmaster, a place I'd otherwise barely have been able to imagine; but it is also a generous, nuanced and witty meditation on confronting the challenges life throws at us all. -- Oliver Burkeman, author of THE ANTIDOTE What a beautiful, thoughtful work. I see thinking in a fresh light. I see my own life in a fresh light as well. -- David Bodanis, author of E=MC2 and EINSTEIN'S GREATEST MISTAKEMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
Weight
532 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5266-0386-9 (9781526603869)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Jonathan Rowson is a writer, philosopher and chess Grandmaster who was British Chess Champion from 2004-6. He holds degrees from Oxford, Bristol and Harvard Universities and is an Open Society Fellow. Formerly Director of the Social Brain Centre at the RSA, in 2016 he became co-founder of Perspectiva, where he leads research on the interplay of systems, souls and society.