Has anyone read a newly published novel with chess as its central theme?
The Death’s Head Chess Club
John Donoghue,
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (May 12, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0374135703
ISBN-13: 978-0374135706
I am puzzled by some of the chess comments on supposedly inferior opening moves.
Some ambiguities like not defining which Knight when both knights could take a pawn.
And in at least one position two legal moves are possible. Thus the Caro-Kann game given on pp. 336-340. Black on move nine could move his knight to either King Rook 3 (Nh6) or King’s Bishop 3 (Nf6). Nf6 immediately loses the piece without compensation according to Houdini.
Game play is given in descriptive text like: “The Black Rock moved the length of the board to the back row on the White Side.”
Nonetheless I could “sort of” reconstruct the Caro-Kann game given on pp. 336-340. However if the below moves are a correct transcription, I cannot see that Black has a won game so obvious that White quits playing by upending the board. The reply 18. Rxc1 seems to be winning.