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Lisa: A Chess Novel
The ISBN for this book was reused on a completely different book:
ISBN-10: 0976848902
ISBN-13: 978-0976848905
The chess pieces knew how they moved. They knew what they wanted too. It wasn’t like school, where kids pretended they were masters of the teachers’ game. The adults didn’t know anything anyway. The real world was a big push to nothing. But Lisa escaped from all that. She found Igor Ivanov. He taught her how to play.
ISBN-10: 0976848902
ISBN-13: 978-0976848905
The chess pieces knew how they moved. They knew what they wanted too. It wasn’t like school, where kids pretended they were masters of the teachers’ game. The adults didn’t know anything anyway. The real world was a big push to nothing. But Lisa escaped from all that. She found Igor Ivanov. He taught her how to play.
- GenresChessFictionYoung Adult
234 pages, Paperback
First published October 9, 2013
33 people are currently reading
480 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 11, 2014
I Grandmaster Igor Ivanov, I character in this book. I write review for Manny. Manny too scared for write review, too weak chessplayer, only FIDE master, know nothing, not even Russian. He say, Igor, you write for me. I write.
Manny say, write review for Goodreads. I look at Goodreads, is stupid site. Is just womens talk about books, talk about lityeratura. Is stupid womens, not think deep, think own thoughts, just repeat words of other womens. I know how they say, they say Lisa not good book, not good writing, not Joyce, not Proust, not lityeratura. Understand nothing. Fuck Goodreads womens.
I read Lisa, is deep book, author Jesse Kraai real man, Grandmaster, study filosofia. Has own ideas he think himself, compare chess and life. Is metafora, you understand metafora? Good. On Goodreads site you like comparison, now I make comparison with other books. I choose three books. Will be good comparison.
First book is Защита Лужина, how you say, Luzhin’s Defence. Great novel of Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov. Impossible write chess novel without think of Luzhin. Name Lisa little bit like Luzhin, kharakter of Lisa little bit like kharakter of Luzhin. Story different, Jesse Kraai write own story.
Second book is Black Cloud of great English scientist Fred Hoyle. I see you surprise, you ask why Black Cloud? I tell you. Fred Hoyle young man, he read science-fiction books, he say very bad. Authors of books know no science, how you write science-fiction book without know science? Hoyle say, I write better book. Hoyle write Black Cloud, people of lityeratura say bad book, no Proust, no Joyce, no lityeratura. Like stupid womens of Goodreads. Hoyle book published 1957, many peoples still read 2014. Hoyle right, stupid peoples of lityeratura wrong. Lisa book like Black Cloud. Is more important know chess than know lityeratura. People still read Lisa in 2070. This I am sure.
Third book is Voyage to Arcturus of David Lindsay. Is published 1920, not famous book. Is strange story, not science-fiction, not filosofia, not lityeratura. Lindsay say deep truth for life, he say life is fight, he say life is pain. People still read. Lisa make me think for Lindsay, Jesse Kraai say life is chess is fight is pain. Is good book for real man that fight, not for stupid womens of Goodreads.
Maybe few womens like Lisa, not stupid. Learn chess, learn fight, learn pain. They read Lisa, they understand. Other womens understands nothing.
Now I written enough.
Manny say, write review for Goodreads. I look at Goodreads, is stupid site. Is just womens talk about books, talk about lityeratura. Is stupid womens, not think deep, think own thoughts, just repeat words of other womens. I know how they say, they say Lisa not good book, not good writing, not Joyce, not Proust, not lityeratura. Understand nothing. Fuck Goodreads womens.
I read Lisa, is deep book, author Jesse Kraai real man, Grandmaster, study filosofia. Has own ideas he think himself, compare chess and life. Is metafora, you understand metafora? Good. On Goodreads site you like comparison, now I make comparison with other books. I choose three books. Will be good comparison.
First book is Защита Лужина, how you say, Luzhin’s Defence. Great novel of Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov. Impossible write chess novel without think of Luzhin. Name Lisa little bit like Luzhin, kharakter of Lisa little bit like kharakter of Luzhin. Story different, Jesse Kraai write own story.
Second book is Black Cloud of great English scientist Fred Hoyle. I see you surprise, you ask why Black Cloud? I tell you. Fred Hoyle young man, he read science-fiction books, he say very bad. Authors of books know no science, how you write science-fiction book without know science? Hoyle say, I write better book. Hoyle write Black Cloud, people of lityeratura say bad book, no Proust, no Joyce, no lityeratura. Like stupid womens of Goodreads. Hoyle book published 1957, many peoples still read 2014. Hoyle right, stupid peoples of lityeratura wrong. Lisa book like Black Cloud. Is more important know chess than know lityeratura. People still read Lisa in 2070. This I am sure.
Third book is Voyage to Arcturus of David Lindsay. Is published 1920, not famous book. Is strange story, not science-fiction, not filosofia, not lityeratura. Lindsay say deep truth for life, he say life is fight, he say life is pain. People still read. Lisa make me think for Lindsay, Jesse Kraai say life is chess is fight is pain. Is good book for real man that fight, not for stupid womens of Goodreads.
Maybe few womens like Lisa, not stupid. Learn chess, learn fight, learn pain. They read Lisa, they understand. Other womens understands nothing.
Now I written enough.
December 30, 2021
Full disclosure: the author, Jesse, is my cousin. But he lives in Baltimore now, and I'm in Oakland, so I could totally one-star this without any awkward family moments. Hi Jesse!
Lisa is a young teenage girl, unhappy and alienated, possibly with a mild touch of Asperger's, who latches onto chess as not only a genuine talent but a way of gaining insight to the world. She finds a Russian grandmaster, Igor, in Berkeley and brazenly knocks on his door, thus gaining a teacher. Igor is a bit like Yoda, if Yoda were a giant Russian with a fondness for vodka (which actually would have made Yoda more interesting, but I digress). He talks epigrammatically, inverting the usual order of words, and sometimes even Lisa shouts in exasperation, "What are you saying??!!" But he remains mostly endearing, and has endless patience for Lisa's idiosyncrasies. Lisa herself is agreeably disagreeable, judgmental of everyone and everything, but also self-lacerating so that you remain on her side. Mostly she just wants to make sense of things, well, we were all teenagers once.
She takes to referring to others as "the chessless", not said as a compliment. I guess that would include me, as I haven't played for decades. But I loved Jesse's fanciful descriptions of the strategic battles in a match, which are endlessly creative. A favorite:
...her pieces knew the anger of liberated repression. All of the squares that Vlad didn't need to control when his opponent was subjugated were now open wounds into which Lisa's pieces drove salted blades of sarcasm.
Also, the Bay Area is everywhere in the book. Even Orinda (really). I loved the mention of Colonial Donuts in Oakland; were there really ongoing chess games there played by Somalis? A longggg time ago I had a job on Lakeshore and walked by Colonial Donuts every day. Also there is a welcome sense as you're reading of not knowing what comes next. Think this will end with a climactic triumph (or near triumph, or even defeat) at some important tournament? Wrong! It winds up, however improbably, with some homeless guys and a stray dog at the Albany Bulb, one of the unique places in the Bay Area that's not widely known.
I enjoyed this, thanks Jesse. Also see Manny Rayner's review, he's definitely not chessless.
Downtown Fresno looked like a bomb had gone off in 1959 and they were only now allowed back in. Sorry Fresno but you know it's true; at least Jesse didn't go after Los Gatos.
"Is time for earn nihilism!" -Igor's final words in the book. No clue what it means. Jesse?
Lisa is a young teenage girl, unhappy and alienated, possibly with a mild touch of Asperger's, who latches onto chess as not only a genuine talent but a way of gaining insight to the world. She finds a Russian grandmaster, Igor, in Berkeley and brazenly knocks on his door, thus gaining a teacher. Igor is a bit like Yoda, if Yoda were a giant Russian with a fondness for vodka (which actually would have made Yoda more interesting, but I digress). He talks epigrammatically, inverting the usual order of words, and sometimes even Lisa shouts in exasperation, "What are you saying??!!" But he remains mostly endearing, and has endless patience for Lisa's idiosyncrasies. Lisa herself is agreeably disagreeable, judgmental of everyone and everything, but also self-lacerating so that you remain on her side. Mostly she just wants to make sense of things, well, we were all teenagers once.
She takes to referring to others as "the chessless", not said as a compliment. I guess that would include me, as I haven't played for decades. But I loved Jesse's fanciful descriptions of the strategic battles in a match, which are endlessly creative. A favorite:
...her pieces knew the anger of liberated repression. All of the squares that Vlad didn't need to control when his opponent was subjugated were now open wounds into which Lisa's pieces drove salted blades of sarcasm.
Also, the Bay Area is everywhere in the book. Even Orinda (really). I loved the mention of Colonial Donuts in Oakland; were there really ongoing chess games there played by Somalis? A longggg time ago I had a job on Lakeshore and walked by Colonial Donuts every day. Also there is a welcome sense as you're reading of not knowing what comes next. Think this will end with a climactic triumph (or near triumph, or even defeat) at some important tournament? Wrong! It winds up, however improbably, with some homeless guys and a stray dog at the Albany Bulb, one of the unique places in the Bay Area that's not widely known.
I enjoyed this, thanks Jesse. Also see Manny Rayner's review, he's definitely not chessless.
Downtown Fresno looked like a bomb had gone off in 1959 and they were only now allowed back in. Sorry Fresno but you know it's true; at least Jesse didn't go after Los Gatos.
"Is time for earn nihilism!" -Igor's final words in the book. No clue what it means. Jesse?
January 31, 2014
As a chess player, I often feel frustrated and disrespected by all the lazy, superficial, unrealistic, cursory depictions of chess in works of fiction. But in Lisa, Jesse Kraai thoroughly and attentively elevates the game to its rightful stature as a philosophical territory, within which one can explore the textures of identity and culture, and maybe even find the beginnings of a lifelong search for some kind of Truth.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably mention that I'm lucky enough to know Jesse, and to have studied chess with him. And I'm very happy to be able to report that he brings the same forceful, but tender, investigative rigor to his writing that he brings to his chess sessions. Not only does he lead Lisa on an authentic and skillfully crafted journey to the heart of the game; he also grapples throughout the story with the threads of her personal struggle, endeavoring on her behalf to weave them back into the larger fabric, the greater historical context in which Lisa, like the rest of us, plays a part.
Jesse's academic background is in philosophy, and he seizes the opportunity here to flex that background to great effect. One scene is constructed as a lovely homage to Plato's Meno, while another makes a nod to the Athenian invasion of Sicily, and there are even some well-timed playful jabs at Thoreau, lest we forget to point a finger at the young history of American thought. Lisa's chess coach never lets her forget that the board she's playing on is marked with the moves of all the players who came before. And Jesse never lets his readers forget that the fundamental mysteries she's trying to tap into are the same ones we've wrestled with for millennia.
I have to say that I'm refreshed and inspired by the scope of this debut novel. Jesse waves a freedom flag for one girl's journey of self-discovery, but also manages to unfurl that flag into a sprawling meditation on gender, race, class, family, mental health, and the influence of our ancestors and predecessors on our status in the world. It's a big landscape to paint, but Jesse slings his brush around with an ample amount of swagger. He unapologetically opens some wounds, but also fastens some insightful stitches around them.
This is a sweet story, but it's not a light one. Lisa doesn't walk a well-lit path, and she doesn't find any easy answers. And Jesse doesn't close all the doors he opens, or draw the readers' conclusions for them. It's an ambitious first book that goes after everything, tearing down the curtains we hold sacred and exposing what's behind them. Sometimes finding purity, sometimes disillusion, and sometimes only another curtain. But there's no denying that this is fiction that dukes it out with the big questions, and that the author's feet are planted firmly in the middle of the richest terrain being navigated by literature.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably mention that I'm lucky enough to know Jesse, and to have studied chess with him. And I'm very happy to be able to report that he brings the same forceful, but tender, investigative rigor to his writing that he brings to his chess sessions. Not only does he lead Lisa on an authentic and skillfully crafted journey to the heart of the game; he also grapples throughout the story with the threads of her personal struggle, endeavoring on her behalf to weave them back into the larger fabric, the greater historical context in which Lisa, like the rest of us, plays a part.
Jesse's academic background is in philosophy, and he seizes the opportunity here to flex that background to great effect. One scene is constructed as a lovely homage to Plato's Meno, while another makes a nod to the Athenian invasion of Sicily, and there are even some well-timed playful jabs at Thoreau, lest we forget to point a finger at the young history of American thought. Lisa's chess coach never lets her forget that the board she's playing on is marked with the moves of all the players who came before. And Jesse never lets his readers forget that the fundamental mysteries she's trying to tap into are the same ones we've wrestled with for millennia.
I have to say that I'm refreshed and inspired by the scope of this debut novel. Jesse waves a freedom flag for one girl's journey of self-discovery, but also manages to unfurl that flag into a sprawling meditation on gender, race, class, family, mental health, and the influence of our ancestors and predecessors on our status in the world. It's a big landscape to paint, but Jesse slings his brush around with an ample amount of swagger. He unapologetically opens some wounds, but also fastens some insightful stitches around them.
This is a sweet story, but it's not a light one. Lisa doesn't walk a well-lit path, and she doesn't find any easy answers. And Jesse doesn't close all the doors he opens, or draw the readers' conclusions for them. It's an ambitious first book that goes after everything, tearing down the curtains we hold sacred and exposing what's behind them. Sometimes finding purity, sometimes disillusion, and sometimes only another curtain. But there's no denying that this is fiction that dukes it out with the big questions, and that the author's feet are planted firmly in the middle of the richest terrain being navigated by literature.
September 12, 2014
There are many reasons to read Lisa, or give it to the chess lover in your life. It is an insider's view of the world of tournament chess, written by a grandmaster who's played at the highest levels. It's a chess book that avoids all the Hollywood clichés of the game, instead offering a real meditation about its allure—what it is that makes beginners and experts alike willing to play, study, and suffer in chess's name. It's a picaresque adventure through some of the world's chess hot spots, and an engaging, often tender portrayal of the relationship between two misfits—a precocious, troubled girl and a reclusive, wounded older player. Finally, a reason you probably won't read in any other review: nobody—NOBODY—writes about bacteria like Jesse Kraai.
February 13, 2016
One of the few books that manages to combine the anxiety of a chess prodigy with the maturation of a teenage girl. You don't have to know chess to like this (though it helps) but a surprising well-written, satisfying short novel.
October 17, 2013
In 2010, Jesse Kraai, an American chess grandmaster, went on a semi-sabbatical from chess in order to write the Great American Chess Novel. As a friend of his, I've been waiting with curiosity and a little bit of trepidation. He is a virtuoso, second to none, as a chess teacher; how could he possibly measure up to those standards as a novelist?
But I can't argue with someone following their dreams, and I think that "Lisa" was a dream worth following. Even more than the Great American Chess Novel, it's the Greater San Francisco Bay Chess Novel. Astute readers will notice several local personalities in the novel -- Jesse does nothing to conceal them.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, and the biggest gamble, in Jesse's novel becomes apparent from the early pages. I won't even bother to conceal the surprise, because you can see it right there on the book's Amazon page. One of the two protagonists of the novel is named Igor Ivanov ... and this is no generic Igor Ivanov. It is Jesse's attempt to bring the Russian-Canadian grandmaster back to life. His biography is faithfully incorporated into the novel, incuding his dramatic defection from Russia to Canada in Gander, Newfoundland, in 1980.
The real Igor Ivanov died in 2005. The fictional Igor Ivanov has merely gone underground for a while, but Lisa (the other protagonist) seeks him out and finds him living in a bad neighborhood in downtown Berkeley, where she convinces him to become her chess coach. The fictional Ivanov has been living a healthier lifestyle and has somewhat tamed his personal demon, vodka.
This fictional Ivanov is a fascinating figure, and readers will doubtless want to know how accurate the depiction of him is. I cannot tell you. I never got to know the real Ivanov, and played against him only one time. I don't know to what extent Jesse's portrayal is based on personal knowledge, and to what extent Jesse has incorporated generic elements of other Russian chess emigres into Ivanov's character. It is surprising, and discouraging, to see the fictional Ivanov's extreme disdain for American players. I can only assume that this reflects Jesse's experiences, because he has played at the top level with Russian emigres many, many times and has probably had many candid conversations with them. I have played lots of Russian emigres, but not at the top level, and have never sensed this kind of contempt from them. Perhaps I am merely naive.
As I said, Jesse includes several other very thinly veiled real people in his novel, mostly from Bay Area chess, and I won't spoil the fun by telling you who they are.
The main protagonist, and title character, "Lisa," is completely fictional. However, the tournaments she goes to are very real -- the Central California Championship in Fresno; the 2010 Polgar Girls Championship in Lubbock, Texas; the 2010 World School Championships in Halkidiki, Greece. The chess in the book is real, too. Ivanov's second assignment for Lisa is to read Tal's book on the 1960 World Championship match between Tal and Botvinnik. Several games from that match are given in the footnotes. ChessLecture.com subscribers will know that Jesse recorded a whole series of lectures on the Tal-Botvinnik match (also in 2010), so it's clear that his own fascination with that match has found its way into the fictional Ivanov's teaching. ChessLecture subscribers will recognize other Jesse-isms sprinkled throughout the book. (Again, I won't spoil the fun by telling you what they are here.)
Given the hyper-realism of some aspects of the book, their juxtaposition with the fictional elements was sometimes a bit jarring for me. I do not expect that this would be a problem for what Lisa calls "chessless" readers. I do think that chessless readers will have other problems with the book. First and foremost is the contempt Lisa has for them. How long will readers want to stick with a book that basically calls them worthless philistines? It would be easy to excuse Lisa on the grounds of youth, but her adult mentor doesn't do much to challenge her. Okay, he does challenge her a little bit, by exposing her to music and mathematics, the two other mountaintops next door to chess, but in essence her worldview is his.
I feel as if I'm emphasizing the negative here, so let me end with some very favorable comments. I think that Jesse's attempt to portray a person on the Asperger's spectrum is very daring and to some extent successful. I like the fact that he doesn't tell you what is going on with her right away. In fact, I think he does a great and very convincing job of portraying adolescent psychology. I also like the way he shows the reader all the different cultures involved in chess these days. He even people talking in untranslated Hindi and untranslated Arabic!
Also Jesse does a really good job in the last 40 pages or so of tying Lisa's personal growth to her experiences over the chess board. If the novel is going to have any success beyond chess readers, it has to use the game as a route into something deeper. For the longest time I was very skeptical whether Jesse was going to pull this off, as he seemed content to focus entirely on the chess world. But the last few chapters veer off into a completely different and surprising direction, one which suggests a real possibility for Lisa's re-integration into the larger world and not in a sappy, Disney-esque way either. If any of the "chessless" readers actually get to this part of the book, I think that they will be rewarded for their patience.
For the bottom line, I think I have to give this book three separate evaluations.
For Bay Area chess players: A must buy, it will be great fun to look for your favorite personalities here. Also for ChessLecture subscribers past and present, ditto. You'll enjoy seeing your favorite American sensei channeled into the (occasionally foul) mouth of a Russian.
For other chess players: Two thumbs up. This is the most realistic chess novel ever. And it provides an interesting perspective on one of the biggest demographic movements in chess history, the emigration of Russian grandmasters to the West.
For "chessless" people: If you can get past being insulted on about every other page, and you're prepared to skip over a few random chess diagrams and game scores in the footnotes, you might find a story here that is more compelling, raw, and thought-provoking than, say, Karate Kid.
[Small correction: Jesse tells me that Lisa was not intended to have Asperger's syndrome, but that she is receiving a drug that is given to Asperger's patients. Actually, I think it is just as well to leave the question unresolved. She clearly has a "difficult" personality, and I think that the story still works because it makes you think about the way we try to deal with difficult people by giving a label to them.]
But I can't argue with someone following their dreams, and I think that "Lisa" was a dream worth following. Even more than the Great American Chess Novel, it's the Greater San Francisco Bay Chess Novel. Astute readers will notice several local personalities in the novel -- Jesse does nothing to conceal them.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, and the biggest gamble, in Jesse's novel becomes apparent from the early pages. I won't even bother to conceal the surprise, because you can see it right there on the book's Amazon page. One of the two protagonists of the novel is named Igor Ivanov ... and this is no generic Igor Ivanov. It is Jesse's attempt to bring the Russian-Canadian grandmaster back to life. His biography is faithfully incorporated into the novel, incuding his dramatic defection from Russia to Canada in Gander, Newfoundland, in 1980.
The real Igor Ivanov died in 2005. The fictional Igor Ivanov has merely gone underground for a while, but Lisa (the other protagonist) seeks him out and finds him living in a bad neighborhood in downtown Berkeley, where she convinces him to become her chess coach. The fictional Ivanov has been living a healthier lifestyle and has somewhat tamed his personal demon, vodka.
This fictional Ivanov is a fascinating figure, and readers will doubtless want to know how accurate the depiction of him is. I cannot tell you. I never got to know the real Ivanov, and played against him only one time. I don't know to what extent Jesse's portrayal is based on personal knowledge, and to what extent Jesse has incorporated generic elements of other Russian chess emigres into Ivanov's character. It is surprising, and discouraging, to see the fictional Ivanov's extreme disdain for American players. I can only assume that this reflects Jesse's experiences, because he has played at the top level with Russian emigres many, many times and has probably had many candid conversations with them. I have played lots of Russian emigres, but not at the top level, and have never sensed this kind of contempt from them. Perhaps I am merely naive.
As I said, Jesse includes several other very thinly veiled real people in his novel, mostly from Bay Area chess, and I won't spoil the fun by telling you who they are.
The main protagonist, and title character, "Lisa," is completely fictional. However, the tournaments she goes to are very real -- the Central California Championship in Fresno; the 2010 Polgar Girls Championship in Lubbock, Texas; the 2010 World School Championships in Halkidiki, Greece. The chess in the book is real, too. Ivanov's second assignment for Lisa is to read Tal's book on the 1960 World Championship match between Tal and Botvinnik. Several games from that match are given in the footnotes. ChessLecture.com subscribers will know that Jesse recorded a whole series of lectures on the Tal-Botvinnik match (also in 2010), so it's clear that his own fascination with that match has found its way into the fictional Ivanov's teaching. ChessLecture subscribers will recognize other Jesse-isms sprinkled throughout the book. (Again, I won't spoil the fun by telling you what they are here.)
Given the hyper-realism of some aspects of the book, their juxtaposition with the fictional elements was sometimes a bit jarring for me. I do not expect that this would be a problem for what Lisa calls "chessless" readers. I do think that chessless readers will have other problems with the book. First and foremost is the contempt Lisa has for them. How long will readers want to stick with a book that basically calls them worthless philistines? It would be easy to excuse Lisa on the grounds of youth, but her adult mentor doesn't do much to challenge her. Okay, he does challenge her a little bit, by exposing her to music and mathematics, the two other mountaintops next door to chess, but in essence her worldview is his.
I feel as if I'm emphasizing the negative here, so let me end with some very favorable comments. I think that Jesse's attempt to portray a person on the Asperger's spectrum is very daring and to some extent successful. I like the fact that he doesn't tell you what is going on with her right away. In fact, I think he does a great and very convincing job of portraying adolescent psychology. I also like the way he shows the reader all the different cultures involved in chess these days. He even people talking in untranslated Hindi and untranslated Arabic!
Also Jesse does a really good job in the last 40 pages or so of tying Lisa's personal growth to her experiences over the chess board. If the novel is going to have any success beyond chess readers, it has to use the game as a route into something deeper. For the longest time I was very skeptical whether Jesse was going to pull this off, as he seemed content to focus entirely on the chess world. But the last few chapters veer off into a completely different and surprising direction, one which suggests a real possibility for Lisa's re-integration into the larger world and not in a sappy, Disney-esque way either. If any of the "chessless" readers actually get to this part of the book, I think that they will be rewarded for their patience.
For the bottom line, I think I have to give this book three separate evaluations.
For Bay Area chess players: A must buy, it will be great fun to look for your favorite personalities here. Also for ChessLecture subscribers past and present, ditto. You'll enjoy seeing your favorite American sensei channeled into the (occasionally foul) mouth of a Russian.
For other chess players: Two thumbs up. This is the most realistic chess novel ever. And it provides an interesting perspective on one of the biggest demographic movements in chess history, the emigration of Russian grandmasters to the West.
For "chessless" people: If you can get past being insulted on about every other page, and you're prepared to skip over a few random chess diagrams and game scores in the footnotes, you might find a story here that is more compelling, raw, and thought-provoking than, say, Karate Kid.
[Small correction: Jesse tells me that Lisa was not intended to have Asperger's syndrome, but that she is receiving a drug that is given to Asperger's patients. Actually, I think it is just as well to leave the question unresolved. She clearly has a "difficult" personality, and I think that the story still works because it makes you think about the way we try to deal with difficult people by giving a label to them.]
December 30, 2024
Sport is molded by culture. 200 kilograms is 200 kilograms anywhere, but the American and Chinese Olympians will lift the weight in completely different ways. You may not realize the distinction if you never touch the barbell yourself. And you won't realize the importance unless you keep at it long enough to scratch the surface of your own culture.
Chess is no exception and the chess-less cannot understand how a person's life is inseparable from their pieces. Most who play do just enough to sense the connection. Some continue on enough to read their own games, struggle with what they uncover, and wrestle with who they could become.
This story is not just for chess players, though chess players should feel drawn to it. But it is not for people unwilling to consider the culture in which they dwell and their personal search for truth and meaning.
The book will leave you ready to take up a journal, call your parents, find a favorite library, consider what choices brought you to where you are and ponder what you might choose next.
It is a pleasure.
Chess is no exception and the chess-less cannot understand how a person's life is inseparable from their pieces. Most who play do just enough to sense the connection. Some continue on enough to read their own games, struggle with what they uncover, and wrestle with who they could become.
This story is not just for chess players, though chess players should feel drawn to it. But it is not for people unwilling to consider the culture in which they dwell and their personal search for truth and meaning.
The book will leave you ready to take up a journal, call your parents, find a favorite library, consider what choices brought you to where you are and ponder what you might choose next.
It is a pleasure.
July 27, 2017
review to come :)
December 7, 2013
I just finished reading "Lisa, A Chess Novel" by grandmaster Jesse Kraai. As I put it down I was laughing lightly and crying lightly, but the course of the book had little laughter and few tears: it was too intense.
summary
The "top level summary" of this book is difficult to nail, and none of the ones I saw before reading it worked (not even the paragraph on the book cover). I don't think I can do any better, but here it is:
Lisa is a girl who finds a particular kind of solace in chess; she is successful in her first serious tournament and winds up apprenticing with an elderly Russian grandmaster, name of Igor, who lives in the east bay. Igor takes her on a journey of improvement at many levels, including chess.
At the end of this she has developed a nuanced way of looking at the world, and has also begun the process of being a complete woman.
my opinions on the book
This might sound like it comes from a typical archetype: "coming of age with the help of an unusual mentor", or "together they fight crime", but I find that two elements make it go so much farther and make the book wonderful:
1. the writing: Jesse Kraai has frequent paragraphs that are concisely wonderfully poetical. I was sometimes reminded how I felt reading Borges' "The Circular Ruins".
2. the use of chess: chess, with its combination of depth and objective metrics, is an excellent backdrop for describing how someone's view of the world grows and becomes more nuanced.
And the author goes well beyond to the general parallel of chess and life: there are several examples of specific chess games or positions, which give a very concrete side to the journey -- we are not being fed vague hand-waiving analogies: we are being given the complete argument. (Don't worry: the author does a reasonable job of making the book flow even if you skip some of the chess technicalities.)
summary
The "top level summary" of this book is difficult to nail, and none of the ones I saw before reading it worked (not even the paragraph on the book cover). I don't think I can do any better, but here it is:
Lisa is a girl who finds a particular kind of solace in chess; she is successful in her first serious tournament and winds up apprenticing with an elderly Russian grandmaster, name of Igor, who lives in the east bay. Igor takes her on a journey of improvement at many levels, including chess.
At the end of this she has developed a nuanced way of looking at the world, and has also begun the process of being a complete woman.
my opinions on the book
This might sound like it comes from a typical archetype: "coming of age with the help of an unusual mentor", or "together they fight crime", but I find that two elements make it go so much farther and make the book wonderful:
1. the writing: Jesse Kraai has frequent paragraphs that are concisely wonderfully poetical. I was sometimes reminded how I felt reading Borges' "The Circular Ruins".
2. the use of chess: chess, with its combination of depth and objective metrics, is an excellent backdrop for describing how someone's view of the world grows and becomes more nuanced.
And the author goes well beyond to the general parallel of chess and life: there are several examples of specific chess games or positions, which give a very concrete side to the journey -- we are not being fed vague hand-waiving analogies: we are being given the complete argument. (Don't worry: the author does a reasonable job of making the book flow even if you skip some of the chess technicalities.)
March 14, 2014
Lisa, A Chess Novel is one of the best books I've read in a long time, and a future classic, I believe, especially if you are a chess player, but even if you are not.
Lisa struggles with insecurity, weight problems, adolescence, and an empty and neglectful home life.
Her mother has her write in her journal as part of a very sacred tradition passed down from her grandmother. Lisa writes her most secret longings and thoughts in there and nobody, not even her mother is allowed to read them.
That is until she reads them one day, in a last ditch effort to get crazy, old, Russian Grandmaster Igor Ivanov to become her chess teacher.
After he has rejected every other plea, he finally hears the heartfelt longings of this lonely, misfit girl, and decides to teach her to play chess.
With her new magic world of files, diagonals and outposts, she transcends her mundane world of mediocrity and cultural desolation.
Highly recommended.
Lisa struggles with insecurity, weight problems, adolescence, and an empty and neglectful home life.
Her mother has her write in her journal as part of a very sacred tradition passed down from her grandmother. Lisa writes her most secret longings and thoughts in there and nobody, not even her mother is allowed to read them.
That is until she reads them one day, in a last ditch effort to get crazy, old, Russian Grandmaster Igor Ivanov to become her chess teacher.
After he has rejected every other plea, he finally hears the heartfelt longings of this lonely, misfit girl, and decides to teach her to play chess.
With her new magic world of files, diagonals and outposts, she transcends her mundane world of mediocrity and cultural desolation.
Highly recommended.
April 9, 2015
Good book about the chess world, recent and up to date with today's ideas and concerns. I liked the interaction as it played out between the teacher and student and Lisa's transformation of character by the end of the book. In the end, the teacher has to leave, but he leaves behind a person, capable of standing on their own.
March 6, 2014
When I got my book from Jesse, he inscribed, may this help your chess. I didn't realize that there were such great lessons here: get fit, study Tal-Botvinnik 1960 deeply, and do studies. Fantastic advice. For non-chess players, I hope this helps you understand why we play.
October 28, 2013
Si hay algo común a todos los ajedrecistas es que, varias veces hemos tratado de explicar "nuestro mundo" a personas totalmente ajenas a él. Así, hemos ido aprendiendo que el enfoque directo, no da ningún resultado, por más "color" o pasión que intentemos darle. La otra persona nos escucha pero no nos entiende. La verdad es que nos encontramos en una posición bastante difícil: ¿cómo podemos trasmitir en palabras lo que sentimos, lo que vemos, o simplemente la belleza de ciertos movimientos de las piezas en unas determinadas casillas? Sí, si no hay duda alguna que todos hemos padecido esta sensación de cierta angustia a la hora de tratar de explicar nuestro "pequeño universo paralelo". Es cierto, muchos, de los de afuera digo, son capaces de percibir que "hay algo", pero la mayoría de ellos hasta ahí son capaces de llegar, aunque para nosotros, que ellos hallan sido capaces de persivir que al menos algo hay ya nos deja más que contentos.... ¿verdad?
A medida que vamos ganando en experiencia, a la hora de tratar el tema de explicar el ajedrez a personas ajenas a él, se nos van ocurriendo, para lograr nuestrso fines, diferentes "posibilidades tácticas". Así, generalmente, si la persona es cercana a nosotros, le hacemos ver alguna película, tal vez algún documental, etc. Mi experiencia demuestra que, con suerte, con mucha suerte, el efecto de que la otra persona pueda ver algo de nuestro mundo dura muy poquito.
No hay caso, la cosa está realmente complicada para nosotros.
Es por todo lo anterior que tengo que aplaudir, y les pido que aplaudan, a cualquier escritor que nos brinde alguna herramienta que pueda ayudarnos en nuestros fines. En definitiva, vaya un gran aplauso para el GM Jesse Kraai, que acaba de añadir una nueva arma a nuestro repertorio.
En "Lisa, a chess novel", definitivamente contamos con una excelente "arma" ya que, con la escusa perfecta de algún cumpleaños, navidad, o algo por el estilo, "matamos dos pájaros de un tiro" el eterno problema de qué regalar y la posibilidad de que un no ajedrecista pueda "sentir" algo de nuestro mundo.
En ella se cuenta la historia de Lisa, una joven californiana de 13 años en la preadolescencia, ya se imaginarán que no está libre de los frecuentes problemas que esta fase conlleva, que va entrando poco a poco en "nuestro mundo". ¿Pero acaso la novela es sólo para los de "afuera"? Pues, definitivamente, no! Nosotros incluso la disfrutaremos más, muchísimo más. Para nosotros hay grandes cosas por ejemplo, el entrenador de Lisa, en la novela, es un GM de la ex unión soviética, o sea nada menos ni nada más que el entrenador que muchos hubieseis querido tener. Él le explicará a Lisa. la tradición rusa, el tipo de respeto que nuestro juego merece y el cual debemos darle. Le contará lo que sienten y sentían los jugadores de las repúblicas de la ex URSS, al tener que dar el gran paso y radicarse en Estados Unidos. También, en la novela, nos toparemos con personajes por todos conocidos como por ejemplo aquellos aficionados que hablan de sus aperturas favoritas como si fuesen artículos deportivos que han adquirido y que les dan una ventaja competitiva, o aquellos que se acercan a los jugadores fuertes en busca de la receta para mejorar su juego y tras escuchar "lo mejor que puedes hacer es analizar tus partidas" se van con la sensación de haber sido engañados......
Y hay mucho, mucho más, incluso un intento de contestación a la eterna pregunta de qué es el ajedrez.....
Claro, podría escribir más, pero creo haber cumplido con mi objetivo: dejarlos con las ganas de leerla y ver si ella puede ser, como lo ha sido para mi, una nueva "herramienta" para comunicarnos con el “afuera”.
A medida que vamos ganando en experiencia, a la hora de tratar el tema de explicar el ajedrez a personas ajenas a él, se nos van ocurriendo, para lograr nuestrso fines, diferentes "posibilidades tácticas". Así, generalmente, si la persona es cercana a nosotros, le hacemos ver alguna película, tal vez algún documental, etc. Mi experiencia demuestra que, con suerte, con mucha suerte, el efecto de que la otra persona pueda ver algo de nuestro mundo dura muy poquito.
No hay caso, la cosa está realmente complicada para nosotros.
Es por todo lo anterior que tengo que aplaudir, y les pido que aplaudan, a cualquier escritor que nos brinde alguna herramienta que pueda ayudarnos en nuestros fines. En definitiva, vaya un gran aplauso para el GM Jesse Kraai, que acaba de añadir una nueva arma a nuestro repertorio.
En "Lisa, a chess novel", definitivamente contamos con una excelente "arma" ya que, con la escusa perfecta de algún cumpleaños, navidad, o algo por el estilo, "matamos dos pájaros de un tiro" el eterno problema de qué regalar y la posibilidad de que un no ajedrecista pueda "sentir" algo de nuestro mundo.
En ella se cuenta la historia de Lisa, una joven californiana de 13 años en la preadolescencia, ya se imaginarán que no está libre de los frecuentes problemas que esta fase conlleva, que va entrando poco a poco en "nuestro mundo". ¿Pero acaso la novela es sólo para los de "afuera"? Pues, definitivamente, no! Nosotros incluso la disfrutaremos más, muchísimo más. Para nosotros hay grandes cosas por ejemplo, el entrenador de Lisa, en la novela, es un GM de la ex unión soviética, o sea nada menos ni nada más que el entrenador que muchos hubieseis querido tener. Él le explicará a Lisa. la tradición rusa, el tipo de respeto que nuestro juego merece y el cual debemos darle. Le contará lo que sienten y sentían los jugadores de las repúblicas de la ex URSS, al tener que dar el gran paso y radicarse en Estados Unidos. También, en la novela, nos toparemos con personajes por todos conocidos como por ejemplo aquellos aficionados que hablan de sus aperturas favoritas como si fuesen artículos deportivos que han adquirido y que les dan una ventaja competitiva, o aquellos que se acercan a los jugadores fuertes en busca de la receta para mejorar su juego y tras escuchar "lo mejor que puedes hacer es analizar tus partidas" se van con la sensación de haber sido engañados......
Y hay mucho, mucho más, incluso un intento de contestación a la eterna pregunta de qué es el ajedrez.....
Claro, podría escribir más, pero creo haber cumplido con mi objetivo: dejarlos con las ganas de leerla y ver si ella puede ser, como lo ha sido para mi, una nueva "herramienta" para comunicarnos con el “afuera”.
November 17, 2013
I read Jesse Kraai's "Lisa, A Chess Novel" in two days. I've always thought that Kraai and fellow "double-A" author Jacob Aagaard are the two best teachers for adults who want to improve at chess. I knew any book by Kraai would be worth reading.
"Lisa" definitely works as a “promising young apprentice meets reclusive old mentor” story. By the end, you expect the damaged old guy to benefit from the relationship at least as much as his pupil (as in alliterative movies like “Karate Kid” and “Finding Forrester"). What I did not expect was the quality of Kraai's writing, which is poetic but never simply ornamental.
Kraai is a chess grandmaster with a PhD in philosophy (and now, a novelist). Kraai is uniquely qualified to answer the obvious question about art for art's sake: “Why bother?” Chess may be the purest example of “art for art's sake,” because chess exists only in relation to itself. Like abstract math, chess does not even exist in the physical world. Chess pieces are superimposed and interrelated patterns on an imaginary grid. These patterns combine and interact in pleasing and unexpected ways, but only to those familiar with the rules of the game. Lisa personifies her chess with human feelings. She “talks” to her chess pieces and asks what they want. Depending on one's cynicism this may be considered as either a symptom of mental illness or a way to seek harmony in the 8x8 chess universe.
The book also depicts the elitism of chessplayers. Lisa's mentor (Soviet emigre Igor Ivanov) has disdain for American chess players. Lisa has borderline contempt for those who do not play chess—the “chessless.” Yet people find relaxation and pure thought through different media, such as astronomy, fishing, praying, painting, tinkering with a car engine, or, yes, studying chess. the meditative reflection is the real answer to the question, “Why bother?” Chess is only a medium for this experience, though a particularly "pure" one due to its abstractness that places it entirely within the mind. The board and pieces are only symbols of abstract relationships, sort of how a circle is merely an arbitrary symbol for the concept of "zero." The book implies that Lisa learns that chessplayers actually don't have a monopoly on aesthetic pleasure, as it turns out. By the end of the novel, Lisa compares her love of chess to her mother's love of Jane Austen novels.
Lisa (the character) raises a few issues toward the end of the novel that are not neatly resolved. The book is too well thought-out for this to have been an oversight. Kraai may be emphasizing the contrast between the harmony on Lisa's chessboard and the discord in her family life. Lisa's next lesson is also implied: that a conventional path (i.e., studying in school, pleasing her parents, entering a "traditional" career) is not inconsistent with a love of chess—or any under-appreciated form of art, really. I've always thought chess is as boundless and rich as music—an opinion held even by Prokofiev. "Lisa" is an authentic and well-written portrayal of the appeal of chess to the title character, 13-year-old Lisa.
"Lisa" definitely works as a “promising young apprentice meets reclusive old mentor” story. By the end, you expect the damaged old guy to benefit from the relationship at least as much as his pupil (as in alliterative movies like “Karate Kid” and “Finding Forrester"). What I did not expect was the quality of Kraai's writing, which is poetic but never simply ornamental.
Kraai is a chess grandmaster with a PhD in philosophy (and now, a novelist). Kraai is uniquely qualified to answer the obvious question about art for art's sake: “Why bother?” Chess may be the purest example of “art for art's sake,” because chess exists only in relation to itself. Like abstract math, chess does not even exist in the physical world. Chess pieces are superimposed and interrelated patterns on an imaginary grid. These patterns combine and interact in pleasing and unexpected ways, but only to those familiar with the rules of the game. Lisa personifies her chess with human feelings. She “talks” to her chess pieces and asks what they want. Depending on one's cynicism this may be considered as either a symptom of mental illness or a way to seek harmony in the 8x8 chess universe.
The book also depicts the elitism of chessplayers. Lisa's mentor (Soviet emigre Igor Ivanov) has disdain for American chess players. Lisa has borderline contempt for those who do not play chess—the “chessless.” Yet people find relaxation and pure thought through different media, such as astronomy, fishing, praying, painting, tinkering with a car engine, or, yes, studying chess. the meditative reflection is the real answer to the question, “Why bother?” Chess is only a medium for this experience, though a particularly "pure" one due to its abstractness that places it entirely within the mind. The board and pieces are only symbols of abstract relationships, sort of how a circle is merely an arbitrary symbol for the concept of "zero." The book implies that Lisa learns that chessplayers actually don't have a monopoly on aesthetic pleasure, as it turns out. By the end of the novel, Lisa compares her love of chess to her mother's love of Jane Austen novels.
Lisa (the character) raises a few issues toward the end of the novel that are not neatly resolved. The book is too well thought-out for this to have been an oversight. Kraai may be emphasizing the contrast between the harmony on Lisa's chessboard and the discord in her family life. Lisa's next lesson is also implied: that a conventional path (i.e., studying in school, pleasing her parents, entering a "traditional" career) is not inconsistent with a love of chess—or any under-appreciated form of art, really. I've always thought chess is as boundless and rich as music—an opinion held even by Prokofiev. "Lisa" is an authentic and well-written portrayal of the appeal of chess to the title character, 13-year-old Lisa.
November 9, 2013
"You know," Igor said. "I notice that when man and woman together they always wish for talk about another couple. How do they live? What choices they make? It is a pleasure for consider own self in lives of other. Is mirror without failure,guilt or accusation."
One of my favourite extracts from the book! And mind you this book is filled with literally 100s of such philosophical and deep thoughts!
The efforts of the Author can easily be seen!
And by reading this one book, you can learn not only about the world of chess, but also about a teacher-student relationship, how obsession about something can often give meaning to life, how different people perceive things differently etc...!
The Author: Jesse Kraai weaves together beautiful episodes in the life of a girl called Lisa and makes the reader think about every single word that he has written.
This is not a book that you will breeze through in a day!
This is a book that has to be chewed slowly and carefully and digested nicely and when you shall complete the book, I guarantee you the feeling of unparalleled blissful satiety!
One of my favourite extracts from the book! And mind you this book is filled with literally 100s of such philosophical and deep thoughts!
The efforts of the Author can easily be seen!
And by reading this one book, you can learn not only about the world of chess, but also about a teacher-student relationship, how obsession about something can often give meaning to life, how different people perceive things differently etc...!
The Author: Jesse Kraai weaves together beautiful episodes in the life of a girl called Lisa and makes the reader think about every single word that he has written.
This is not a book that you will breeze through in a day!
This is a book that has to be chewed slowly and carefully and digested nicely and when you shall complete the book, I guarantee you the feeling of unparalleled blissful satiety!
October 22, 2013
What struck me first and foremost about this book was how true it was. As someone who has spent a lot of their life in the chess world, detail after detail (and of course I am thinking more of emotions, feelings, philosophy than of sizes and colors of pieces and boards) rang 100% true to me. This book is fantastic at providing insight into the chess world, the real world, and its characters.
The big question for me, which I am looking forward to hearing about as a wider audience reads this, is how intelligible the story will be to the "chessless." I really do hope that they will be able to understand what chess is for chessplayers by reading this book, as it has by far the best explanations I have ever seen.
Irrespective of genre, this is one of the most realistic stories I have ever read. It is emotionally engaging. The writing is strong.
I heartily recommend this to anyone!
The big question for me, which I am looking forward to hearing about as a wider audience reads this, is how intelligible the story will be to the "chessless." I really do hope that they will be able to understand what chess is for chessplayers by reading this book, as it has by far the best explanations I have ever seen.
Irrespective of genre, this is one of the most realistic stories I have ever read. It is emotionally engaging. The writing is strong.
I heartily recommend this to anyone!
May 18, 2014
For someone who never wrote a novel before this, Jesse Kraai did a great job. Characters are unique and dimensional (especially Igor Ivanov, who was loosely based on a Grandmaster by the same name). Lisa's journey is interesting and, I would imagine, representative of many career chess-players. ( I am not a career chess-player.) Word arrangement is often beautiful and prompts re-reading. The issue of a young, possibly Autistic woman in a male-dominated sport is handled as well as I imagine most male writers could manage. The shift in narrative at the end is very moving.
Not much to complain about here.
Not much to complain about here.
December 13, 2013
I'm no chess player, but I was fascinated by the way moves revealed themselves to Lisa, the way she read the lines of energy criss-crossing the board to evaluate her position. It makes me wish I could play a decent game of chess, but I'll settle for enjoying this compelling account of a girl's evolution in life and in chess. It's a beautiful, maddening game.
November 14, 2013
When Lisa study with Igor secretly using the money she won the tournament, it reminded me that I used to go to chess club secretly in Mongolia when I was in middle school because my parents wouldn't let me pursue chess. I pay my teacher using the lunch money I saved everyday instead of eating lunch at the school.
November 29, 2014
Grandmaster Jesse Kraai took a three-year break from tournament chess to write his first book. "Lisa: A Chess Novel," is an interesting coming of age story about a teenage girl diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. Lisa is misunderstood and treated cruelly at times. Chess becomes her obsession, one in which she becomes thoroughly stuck for a time.
There is much in this novel to recommend it highly.
There are two protagonists: Lisa and her coach, GM Igor Ivanov. For those without a long chess history, GM Ivanov was a real person. I don’t know how much of GM Ivanov in the novel depicts how he interacted with students and how much is a pastiche of Russian émigré chess coaches but I definitely like him. Lisa is a less likeable character.
As a fictional character, GM Ivanov is fascinating. I switched back and forth between the Kindle eBook and the Audible.com version of the story. The latter was by far the better experience. GM Kraai’s imitation of a Russian accent made listening to the story a true delight. The character of GM Ivanov came alive for me as a result of his narration. I could easily visualize GM Ivanov on the Church’s Chicken weekend tournament circuit, alternately playing chess in one city and then riding along to the next city on a Greyhound bus, vodka-besotted, leaning against some poor stranger. You can read a small sample of the book at Amazon and listen to a sample of the Audible reading here.
Chess players from the San Francisco Bay area will appreciate the many small touches that help lend the book more authenticity. Even if, like me, you are not from the San Francisco Bay but you have been an avid member of the American chess community, you will find comfort in the mention of familiar people, places, and events.
Lisa is an interesting character. As I mentioned, she’s not altogether nearly as likeable as the other characters in the novel. She is very clearly troubled. The diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome is a passing reference and it does not really fit her all that well. Clearly Lisa, like many individuals battling mental illness, suffers from more than just one challenge. There are passing references to self-mutilation and anti-depressant medications. That fits well for the fictional Lisa. The label of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) would fit, too. Better than Asperger’s. She's definitely a very difficult teen.
The passing references to Asperger’s is just one example where the reader is jarred out of the novel because certain elements of the story do not fit so well. The same with the decision to fictionalize Lisa’s interaction with GM Ivanov at a time when the actual GM was already dead. Readers who know that GM Ivanov was living in Utah before he passed, was married, and had many students will again be jarred periodically out of the novel because the depiction is so different. Blending real and fictional characters is a daring move. It is unfortunate that the result was not completely successful here. Using a completely fictional coach would have kept me more fully immersed in the novel.
Lisa goes from being self-absorbed with her personal journal to being obsessed with chess. She struggles in school and cannot get past the ninth grade because of attention deficits and behavior problems. Her interaction with her parents is similarly challenged. The only people Lisa shows respect for in the early chapters are her chess coaches. First, a woman named Ruth and then GM Ivanov. Chess is her gateway to anything even approaching peer interaction. There she does make some interesting friendships. I liked the young women she meets and their shared experiences.
Many reviewers find Lisa’s experience to be a reflection of the chess world. I would say instead that it is an interesting pastiche from a subculture within the chess world. It is true that a reader can attend nearly any chess tournament and find enough examples of significant mental illness to populate a chess novel. But – and there are glimpses of this in the novel – you will also find that most of the players are normal, well-adjusted individuals. I didn’t see where Lisa came to that realization.
This is Jesse Kraai’s first novel. He makes some mistakes that are typical for beginning novelists. There are long passages where he is too obvious in his attempt to give the book a literary feel. This is another jarring experience for the reader and there were moments when the descriptive prose got so long and so forced that my attention wandered and I even became frustrated and impatient to get back to the main narrative.
The reference at the end of the novel to Emma and Jane Austin is another element that didn’t quite fit. Instead of a gratuitous literary reference, my reading experience would have been enhanced more by knowing what happened to GM Igor Ivanov. The character just tells Lisa “One last lesson,” they go for a polar bear swim in San Francisco Bay, she curses and jumps out of the icy water, and then her coach just continues on swimming around the pier. This scene is typical of the entire ending. It’s like the author just ran out of story. We learn that Lisa goes on to have a few students. That just wasn’t enough of a character arc for me. I was left wanting to know more about how Lisa got on in life.
So now we come to the recommendation. Is "Lisa: A Chess Novel" a satisfying read? I would say – imperfections and all – chess players will find much to like. Even the “chess-less” will find the story of how Lisa grows as a result of her interaction with GM Ivanov to be an interesting story. It’s obvious that Jesse Kraai worked hard on his first novel. There are many memorable moments in the book that lead me to give it an enthusiastic recommendation. I look forward to reading his next novel as a result.
There is much in this novel to recommend it highly.
There are two protagonists: Lisa and her coach, GM Igor Ivanov. For those without a long chess history, GM Ivanov was a real person. I don’t know how much of GM Ivanov in the novel depicts how he interacted with students and how much is a pastiche of Russian émigré chess coaches but I definitely like him. Lisa is a less likeable character.
As a fictional character, GM Ivanov is fascinating. I switched back and forth between the Kindle eBook and the Audible.com version of the story. The latter was by far the better experience. GM Kraai’s imitation of a Russian accent made listening to the story a true delight. The character of GM Ivanov came alive for me as a result of his narration. I could easily visualize GM Ivanov on the Church’s Chicken weekend tournament circuit, alternately playing chess in one city and then riding along to the next city on a Greyhound bus, vodka-besotted, leaning against some poor stranger. You can read a small sample of the book at Amazon and listen to a sample of the Audible reading here.
Chess players from the San Francisco Bay area will appreciate the many small touches that help lend the book more authenticity. Even if, like me, you are not from the San Francisco Bay but you have been an avid member of the American chess community, you will find comfort in the mention of familiar people, places, and events.
Lisa is an interesting character. As I mentioned, she’s not altogether nearly as likeable as the other characters in the novel. She is very clearly troubled. The diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome is a passing reference and it does not really fit her all that well. Clearly Lisa, like many individuals battling mental illness, suffers from more than just one challenge. There are passing references to self-mutilation and anti-depressant medications. That fits well for the fictional Lisa. The label of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) would fit, too. Better than Asperger’s. She's definitely a very difficult teen.
The passing references to Asperger’s is just one example where the reader is jarred out of the novel because certain elements of the story do not fit so well. The same with the decision to fictionalize Lisa’s interaction with GM Ivanov at a time when the actual GM was already dead. Readers who know that GM Ivanov was living in Utah before he passed, was married, and had many students will again be jarred periodically out of the novel because the depiction is so different. Blending real and fictional characters is a daring move. It is unfortunate that the result was not completely successful here. Using a completely fictional coach would have kept me more fully immersed in the novel.
Lisa goes from being self-absorbed with her personal journal to being obsessed with chess. She struggles in school and cannot get past the ninth grade because of attention deficits and behavior problems. Her interaction with her parents is similarly challenged. The only people Lisa shows respect for in the early chapters are her chess coaches. First, a woman named Ruth and then GM Ivanov. Chess is her gateway to anything even approaching peer interaction. There she does make some interesting friendships. I liked the young women she meets and their shared experiences.
Many reviewers find Lisa’s experience to be a reflection of the chess world. I would say instead that it is an interesting pastiche from a subculture within the chess world. It is true that a reader can attend nearly any chess tournament and find enough examples of significant mental illness to populate a chess novel. But – and there are glimpses of this in the novel – you will also find that most of the players are normal, well-adjusted individuals. I didn’t see where Lisa came to that realization.
This is Jesse Kraai’s first novel. He makes some mistakes that are typical for beginning novelists. There are long passages where he is too obvious in his attempt to give the book a literary feel. This is another jarring experience for the reader and there were moments when the descriptive prose got so long and so forced that my attention wandered and I even became frustrated and impatient to get back to the main narrative.
The reference at the end of the novel to Emma and Jane Austin is another element that didn’t quite fit. Instead of a gratuitous literary reference, my reading experience would have been enhanced more by knowing what happened to GM Igor Ivanov. The character just tells Lisa “One last lesson,” they go for a polar bear swim in San Francisco Bay, she curses and jumps out of the icy water, and then her coach just continues on swimming around the pier. This scene is typical of the entire ending. It’s like the author just ran out of story. We learn that Lisa goes on to have a few students. That just wasn’t enough of a character arc for me. I was left wanting to know more about how Lisa got on in life.
So now we come to the recommendation. Is "Lisa: A Chess Novel" a satisfying read? I would say – imperfections and all – chess players will find much to like. Even the “chess-less” will find the story of how Lisa grows as a result of her interaction with GM Ivanov to be an interesting story. It’s obvious that Jesse Kraai worked hard on his first novel. There are many memorable moments in the book that lead me to give it an enthusiastic recommendation. I look forward to reading his next novel as a result.
October 27, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It's an actual. Novel. About. Chess! And the main character is female. It talks about growing up, becoming a better person... about the impact sexism has in our lives... So what's not to love?
October 24, 2020
I enjoy chess and wanted to explore a book that wasn't just another instructional lesson. I found the book interesting but to me lacked the spark to keep me engrossed in the plot and to develop any empathy for the characters. I would recommend the Queen's Gambit as a good chess oriented book.
August 29, 2020
Not my cup of tea, I expected something different. I suppose I was a wrong reader for this book.
December 31, 2020
No real plan for book. To much skipping around. Woke up in a new world every day. Needs to clean up the language.
March 2, 2021
Only a chess player would like this book. But they might love it.
July 19, 2025
Amazing book
I think I would need to read this book a few times to fully comprehend it. Definite worth reading the first time - even though I struggled at times to understand it.
I think I would need to read this book a few times to fully comprehend it. Definite worth reading the first time - even though I struggled at times to understand it.
October 22, 2013
When Jesse told me he was going to write a book, I was a bit skeptical at first. I’ve always known he was a superb writer, but it was hard for me to believe he would actually pen a whole novel. But then he stopped playing tournaments. I stopped hearing from him, as did a lot of others. It became clear that writing this book was his mission, and that he would not be thrown off course. It was as if it wasn’t simply a task he had to accomplish, but a weight he had to purge from his soul.
As for the book itself, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it would have a lot of humor. He would strive for psychological depth, and somehow try to share his world view. There would probably be lots of phony Russian accents, with words ending with strange sounds like “atsk.” All of this can be found there. The main character of Lisa was unique and completely unexpected for me. I don’t know any chessplayer quite like her, but I’m sure that almost any of us could find a little of ourselves in her. The situations she finds herself in are also quite realistic for a young player moving up the ranks. Igor was more expected for me, and I found him quite convincing. He’s like a stereotypical Russian GM, Mr. Miyagi, and Jesse all rolled into one. There might even be a little Yoda in there. The type of teacher almost anyone would want, yet almost be afraid to have. I also enjoyed how Jesse fit these two creations into the fabric of the chess world, interacting with interpretations of people I’ve known or have heard of. Even myself! Anyone who knows them in real life will get a huge kick out of it, but at the same time it’ll give non-chessplayers a glimpse into what living in this bubble is really like.
I’ve known Jesse for a long time, and I can tell you right now, the guy is pretty nuts. In a way, I think he lives in his own world, and that in order to hang out with him you have to cross over to it. Even then, however, you only get a slight glimpse. Reading Lisa was an opportunity for me to get immersed in that world. And it doesn’t disappoint.
-GM Josh Friedel
As for the book itself, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it would have a lot of humor. He would strive for psychological depth, and somehow try to share his world view. There would probably be lots of phony Russian accents, with words ending with strange sounds like “atsk.” All of this can be found there. The main character of Lisa was unique and completely unexpected for me. I don’t know any chessplayer quite like her, but I’m sure that almost any of us could find a little of ourselves in her. The situations she finds herself in are also quite realistic for a young player moving up the ranks. Igor was more expected for me, and I found him quite convincing. He’s like a stereotypical Russian GM, Mr. Miyagi, and Jesse all rolled into one. There might even be a little Yoda in there. The type of teacher almost anyone would want, yet almost be afraid to have. I also enjoyed how Jesse fit these two creations into the fabric of the chess world, interacting with interpretations of people I’ve known or have heard of. Even myself! Anyone who knows them in real life will get a huge kick out of it, but at the same time it’ll give non-chessplayers a glimpse into what living in this bubble is really like.
I’ve known Jesse for a long time, and I can tell you right now, the guy is pretty nuts. In a way, I think he lives in his own world, and that in order to hang out with him you have to cross over to it. Even then, however, you only get a slight glimpse. Reading Lisa was an opportunity for me to get immersed in that world. And it doesn’t disappoint.
-GM Josh Friedel
February 11, 2014
The best review and synopses is in Feb 2014 Chess Life. Basically the writing improves beginning to end and she does not get all that she wants but it is a pretty good story of expectation and reality. It is really the only Chess Novel I have read and I am happy I did. I am an awful OTB Player and a little better on line. I got interested in Chess because of computer chess, I do think Chess Players are much more than than others to enjoy this book.
February 24, 2015
Good chess novel. Enjoyed it. Not just if you like chess, but an interesting story in it self.
May 27, 2016
Simple, encapsulating read. I read it all on 2 days of planes and was held in and entertained the whole time. Nice, enjoyable book about life and difficulties through the eyes of chess.
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