Lucia’s book and movie recommendations

Growing up, I was an absolute bookworm. Besides fantasy and romance books, chess books have also caught my interest. I would like to present to you my favorites.

Books

1. My System by GM Aron Nimzowitsch

My father showed me this book when I was around the age of 12. It was a chess book that taught me the most and made me move forward in my future chess career. Even though it is a relatively old book, written in 1925, it didn’t lose its value in today’s chess. It is also one of the first books describing chess hyper-modernism, including a complex strategy summary in chess games, which I think is ageless. He supported each of his statements with multiple examples of positions and games, which made it much easier to understand. If you haven’t read this book yet, I would strongly recommend it. No matter if you are a beginner or an advanced player, this book will show you a lot about chess.

2. Under the surface by GM Jan Markos

From My system, we will switch to a much newer book. Under the Surface (2019), written by a former top Slovakian chess player and my favorite chess writer, GM Jan Markos. The author has a specific writing style and the simplicity of his explanations of fairly complicated chess elements is fascinating. In this book, you can find not commonly known chess strategy rules and detailed analysis of complicated chess positions.

3. Secret ingredient by GM Jan Markos

In this book, Jan Markos talks about the psychology behind the game of chess. After reading it, you will know how to prepare for your games, what type of play you should pick depending on your opponents, how to deal with losses, how to play against stronger or weaker opponents, how to avoid unwanted draws, and many more! To make these topics more understandable, he put in many examples from his own games.

If you don’t fancy reading or just want to chill with some movie or series, here are some amazing chess movies that can motivate you to play and train chess.

Movies

1. The Queen’s Gambit

The Queen’s Gambit is a miniseries comprising seven episodes. It is describing the life of a 9-year-old Beth Harmon, a girl who was taught how to play chess in an orphanage and, as it turned out, she was a chess prodigy, who ended up competing for the World Champion title. The series got out in 2020 and immediately it was an enormous success, with millions of people being excited by it. It has over 62 million views on Netflix, making it one of the most-watched chess series in the film industry!

Personally, I loved Beth’s character and her consistent urge to be the best in what she is doing. The throwback to the sixties was a pleasant addition, which was a great escape from modern chess, filled with many theory lines and computer moves.

2. Bobby Fischer Against The World

Bobby Fischer Against The World is a documentary film about the life of a chess genius and former World Champion Bobby Fischer, with an extra focus on his World Championship match against Boris Spassky. I found this movie when I was a child and for years it was my favorite. I’ve seen it multiple times. It includes many not well-known facts about Fischer’s life and his geniality. He is a great inspiration for me and for many chess players, so don’t miss your chance to see this movie!

3. Queen of Katwe

This documentary from 2016 shows the life of Phiona Mutesi, a poor African girl living in the slums of Uganda’s capital, Katwe. She learns how to play chess from her teacher from a missionary program and quickly becomes fascinated by this game. As we later find out, she has an exceptional talent for chess and quickly improves. In the end, she makes it into the Olympics! This film will make you appreciate what you have in your life and prove that chess is really a game for all.

Author

LUCIA ŠEVČÍKOVÁ