BOOK REVIEW BY CARL PORTMAN

CHESS THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

by Raymond Keene OBE and Barry Martin

 

Raymond Keene and Barry Martin

Foreword by Emma Trehane

Pages: 382

Published independently by: The Brain Trust 2024

 

What is this book about?

Chess, in all its glorious forms, has intrigued and challenged the human mind for nearly 2,000 years. But let’s face it, the literature on the game is often as dense as a stack of arcane telephone directories, or to put it bluntly, like trying to decode Martian Attack Code. It’s not exactly caviar, as Shakespeare’s Hamlet might say, but anathema to the general, leaving most people scratching their heads in bewilderment.

 

This book, however, is different. It’s not about getting lost in a maze of abstract strategies; it’s about celebrating the romance of the game, its personalities, its controversies, and the sheer human drama that chess has inspired through the ages. Whether you’re here to explore the greats like Bobby Fischer, Viktor Korchnoi, or Garry Kasparov, you’ll find something in these pages. So, what life is there but chess? It’s a life filled with stories of triumph, defeat, creativity, and obsession.

 

In this book, two experienced chess commentators, Grandmaster Ray Keene OBE and artist Barry Martin, respectively columnists of TheArticle and EyeOnLondon, range with their thoughts across the entire landscape of contemporary chess. In so doing the authors pay homage to that original Surrealist of the game, Lewis Carroll and his mirror image masterpiece, Alice through the Looking Glass.

 

A special feature is a series of 24 art photographs by Barry, capturing images of the world’s greats, including Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, Magnus Carlsen, Viktor Korchnoi, Nigel Short, Michael Adams and Jan Timman. These were taken primarily at the traditional home of chess, Simpson's-in-the-Strand in London, and at the prestigious tournament of Bilbao, Spain, 2008, which numbered Viswanathan Anand, Lev Aronian, Susan Polgar and chess super journalist, Leontxo Garcia amongst its illustrious denizens.

 

Contents

 

·         Foreword by Emma Trehane (Editor, EyeOnLondon)

·         43 chapters (essentially 43 articles/essays)

·         Conclusion (War and Chess)

·         Biographies of the authors

 

My thoughts and comments

 

First of all let me comment on the look and feel of the book. The cover shows former World Champion Garry Kasparov in pensive mood set against a black background, and the intensity of his gaze seems to say to the reader turn over the pages and see what ye shall find. The page quality and font size are very good and the diagrams are a nice size, as are the colour photographs.

 

I am familiar with Ray Keene’s work not only from his many chess books but his columns in TheArticle, which are always rich in subject matter and totally unique in chess journalism.

 

In this book, he wrote chapters 1-21 and after a brief ‘intermezzo’ Barry Martin picks up the baton and concludes chapters 22-43. Ray Keene is a grandmaster of legendary status and Barry Martin is a very strong chess player in his own right – indeed he once drew with former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov in a simultaneous exhibition at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, London. He even had the temerity to play the Caro-Kann against ‘Tolya’ which is some achievement considering Karpov was a world renowned expert in that opening. Mr. Martin might perhaps be better known for his artwork and I fondly recall the image he created of Nigel Short at the World Chess Championships against Garry Kasparov in 1993.

 

He generously provides the reader with a veritable feast of photographs in the middle of the book, taken by Martin himself. These articulate the game of chess from differing perspectives – portraits, battles at the board, moments in time and one fantastic image of Leontxo Garcia with the image of a chessboard on his face.

 

My personal favourite, however, is one taken of Raymond Keene and his wife at their London home. Mr. Keene is recumbent in his chair and Annette is gazing wistfully out of the window in a re-creation of the Degas painting of Manet and his wife. It’s a very clever idea and more people should try this approach! A very close second is a portrait of Victor Korchnoi in his chair, also at Simpson’s. It’s an enchanting image showing a (rarely?) relaxed and contemplative Victor. I love it and wish to try to get a copy of it.

 

Raymond Keene’s essays

To the chapters then, and Keene, in his own inimitable manner manages in an almost alchemic manner to weave historical and contemporary issues into the extraordinary game that is chess. Where he gets his ideas from I can only guess but the man has an unfathomable brain which really ought to be preserved and left to science. The open-minded reader cannot fail to learn a great deal from his articles. His wisdom highlights such varied subjects as football and chess, Islam and chess, unfair play, chess in prisons, politics, transgender pawns, tobacco and witches, USSR v the rest of the world and Rhoda Bowles (what an incredible woman, esto perpetua!) to name a few. The reader could select any chapter at random and be suitably enthused. There is a golden seam of humour throughout which help drive the points he wishes to make home.

 

Keene mentions the Marshall chess club saying that it is ‘permanently established’ but shockingly I recently heard that this might not be the case for much longer. They are considering selling their historic building in West Village New York and relocating to Manhattan. Let’s await further developments.

 

He describes chess as a chaotic crucible of struggle which is probably the best description I have ever heard. He is unafraid to meet head-on the subject of transgender players in sport. Everyone has a view on this but chess of course is a cerebral game, so does it even matter ‘who identifies as what’ in this sense? Well actually in chess there are women only competitions, not open tournaments which include male and female players. Therefore the criteria for being a man or a woman is important and relevant, and The Equality Act 2010 defines ‘sex’ as biological sex, meaning the sex assigned at birth. Keene later makes a very important point when he states that it might be because women have traditionally been segregated from men in competitions that has led to a lack of opportunity to play the best male opposition, thereby improving their own game. Should women only tournaments cease and we just have open chess for all people to find their own level? This article sows the seed for discussion.

 

He covers important players and tournaments, such as New York 1924 and sprinkles his articles with photos and nicely set out chess diagrams. Here is a lovely if well-known position from the New York International 1924 between Richard Reti (white) and Efim Bogolyubov where it is White to play and win in fine fashion.

 

Did you see it? White essays 24.Bf7+ Kh8 and now the devastating 25.Be8!! with the threat of Qxf8 mate. Now after 25…Bxc5 Bogolyubov loses at least a bishop and 25…Rxe8 fails to the queen sacrifice 26.Qxf8 with mate to follow. That’s exquisite.

 

There's more gold in the book - I must also mention his list of twelve impossible things in believing before breakfast. After reading this I felt like asking him to stand as an MP!

 

Barry Martin’s essays

When Barry Martin began the second part of the book I did not know what to expect. I was hugely impressed not only by his obvious talent as an artist and photographer but by his knowledge and passion for chess. This, and he knows where the pieces go! He covers a smorgasbord of subjects including the Niemann ‘cheating’ scandal, elite tournament chess, The Hamilton-Russell Cup, life and chess, government support for chess, ageing and chess, a lovely piece about Yuri Averbakh (born on 8 February as was I), the Staunton Memorial, and even lollipops and pliers!

 

I appreciated the fact that he gave the reader a puzzle at the end of each chapter, some easy some not so easy, but all showing the joy of chess. I had fun tackling these over a glass of red.

 

This one below was one of my favourites. Rachel Reeves (yes, the Chancellor) was White, playing Abigail Cast at the 4NCL tournament in 1995. Black just played  1…Nc6

 

How does White win material?

 

 

I provide the answer at the foot of this review.

 

His selection of photographs really are enjoyable to scrutinize but it’s a shame that I could not visit the website (to maybe purchase the Korchnoi print) as the address given does not seem to work.

 

For me, this anthology of over 40 chess articles brought joy and bolstered by love of not only chess but art and the use of language. I can imagine that the two authors derived great pleasure from compiling it and exchanging both word play and chess anecdotes. It is a jolly skyrocket of a book and I understand that there are only a limited number printed so I would advise getting your copy now. 

 

At the end of the book, both authors declare that the story of chess is like no other and after reading this you’ll be brave to disagree. I recommend it unreservedly.

 

Does the book achieve its aim?

Yes. This book is jointly dedicated to Lewis Carroll, author of the chess themed Alice through the Looking Glass and I felt as if I were jumping with gay abandon down many chess rabbit holes to discover the wonders there. The books sets out to celebrate the romance of chess, its personalities, controversies and sheer human drama. As a writer myself it made me want to research and write even more about chess and share some of my own thoughts so the book is inspiring in that sense. Note also that non-chess players will enjoy these intellectual essays and they might actually feel compelled to take up the game. Wouldn’t that be an added bonus?

 

Who are the authors?

Raymond Keene OBE, London’s first chess Grandmaster, isn’t just a player, he’s a phenomenon. With a career that includes titles like British Champion and a world record for authoring 208 chess books, Ray has not only organised three World Chess Championships but also faced down the Soviet titans, Botvinnik and Tal, and won. He’s even taken on 107 opponents simultaneously, losing just one game, and has played 19 blindfolded games at once without a single loss.

 

Barry Martin is one of the world’s most distinguished chess-playing artists. His role as vice chair of the Chelsea Arts Club and as an art consultant for multiple World Chess Championships underscores his profound influence in the art community and the high regard in which he is held by fellow artists. He once designed the 80th birthday celebration for the avant-garde composer John Cage, featuring a cake modelled after Duchamp’s infamous upside-down urinal, Fountain. His works have graced the Tate, the V&A, and the National Portrait Gallery, and his notorious Potato Chess Set, a fixture at Somerset House until it began to sprout, shows just how far he’s willing to push the boundaries of both art and chess.

 

Answer to the chess puzzle: 2.Qxf5!! exf5 3. Nxd5 winning at least a pawn, and structurally Black is inferior. In reality Black put up stiff resistance but eventually Reeves won.