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SMART CHIP FROM ST. PETERSBURG (and Other Tales of a Bygone Era)
Author: Genna Sosonko
NIC (2006)
www.newinchess.com
197 pages
$23.95
Reviewed by Joshua Andersen
SMART CHIP FROM ST. PETERSBURG by Genna Sosonko was published by New In
Chess in 2006. This book contains character portraits of some quite
strong, but lesser known names like Irina Levitina and Jan Donner, and
some even less familiar characters, such as Genrikh Chepukaitis. There
are also articles on how age affects chess, the killer instinct, chess
in dreams, and religion and chess.
The format for the thematic articles is similar throughout the book.
Sosonko draws strongly on the experiences of his compatriots in both
the Netherlands and the former Soviet Union, his own experience, and
occasionally that of other grandmasters. The character portraits are of
people Sosonko has known, at least in passing, but often quite well.
This enables him to present relatively detailed stories of their
relationship to chess and provide a very personable account of the
subject.
In the chapter on Levitina, she says, "It's fantastic that you
(Sosonko) find the good side in very unappealing people." (p.150) She
is referring to Sosonko's previous book, RUSSIAN SILHOUETTES, but this
ability seems to continue within this book as well. While the author
shouldn't be accused of writing hagiographies, he is clearly focusing
on the good side of his subjects. Even when exploring an individual's
negative traits or difficulties they may have caused, he does so in a
sympathetic manner.
The work flows nicely and is very easy to read. There are wonderfully
humorous sections, such as when Sosonko explains what it is like to be
very slightly famous. The short, succinct chapters make the book ideal
to read where frequent interruptions are likely. The only component of
Sosonko's writing that one might find distracting to read is his
frequent switching from first to third person and back again.
The best part of Sosonko's work is the "everyman" feel that he brings
to each character portrait. This reviewer, and most of the readers,
will never have met any of the people they are reading about, but
rather, will be reminded of people they known from their own life. We
may not have known Chepukaitis, but we all know someone who is far
better at blitz than slow chess; we may not have known Evgeny Ruban,
but we all know someone who found life difficult to handle and found
solace in this immortal game.
My only real complaint is that most of the articles, all but "Genna
Adonis" and "The Stairway of Life", are reprints from New In Chess
Magazine. To be fair, the publishers do relay this information on the
bottom of the next to last page, and it is nice to have the articles
all together, but regular readers of New In Chess might not want to
spend $23.95 on a book they have already read. For those who are not
regular readers of New In Chess magazine, $23.95 is a steal.
Click to buy (or get more information about) SMART CHIP FROM ST. PETERSBURG
Click to buy (or get more information about) THE RELIABLE PAST (by Sosonko) - $22.95
Click to buy (or get more information about) RUSSIAN SILHOUETTES (by Sosonko) - $20.95
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