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Pushing Pawns: The Chess Club Book One
Best Fiction 2022 Indie Reader Discovery Awards
Kirkus Best Indie Books 2022
"Eye-opening and engaging; a triumphant mashup of underdog sporting contest and teen drama." — Kirkus Reviews
"A YA masterpiece that belongs on every teen’s smartphone—an instant classic." — IndieReader
Class struggle. On the street and over the board.
Urban high school kid Moses Middleton hoped that chess competition could be a ticket out of mediocrity, but everything goes pear-shaped after a disastrous tournament. That’s when he meets Viktor, a mad Russian grandmaster who agrees to coach the team by revealing the secrets of Soviet chess. Together with his crew -- charismatic psychopath P.D. Morales, gifted violinist and expert fencer Esther Toussaint, shy anime fan Maggie Wang, and the new boy, Albanian chess wizard Zamir Hoxha -- Moses vows to take the world of New York City scholastic chess by storm. But trouble’s on the way, in the form of neighborhood bullies, a vengeful vice principal, racist gentrifiers, the snooty rich kids from Galton Prep, and, worst of all, a sexual predator who could destroy a young woman’s life and the team’s newfound solidarity.
Perfect for young fans of The Queen's Gambit, this "YA masterpiece" ( Indie Reader ) combines humor, drama, and social insight.
Praise from Amazon and Goodreads
★★★★★ Fabulous read. This has it Great characters, witty dialogue, wonderful ending. It's brilliant.
★★★★★ The universe of PUSHING PAWNS is one I’d like to inhabit, with characters I’d love to befriend.
★★★★★ Touching, real and yet hopeful in these anxious dark times, and beautifully written.
★★★★★ Readers will find themselves cheering the chess club on through their triumphs.
★★★★★ A story of friendship, challenges, teamwork, and loyalty. It is a high-quality YA read.
Kirkus Best Indie Books 2022
"Eye-opening and engaging; a triumphant mashup of underdog sporting contest and teen drama." — Kirkus Reviews
"A YA masterpiece that belongs on every teen’s smartphone—an instant classic." — IndieReader
Class struggle. On the street and over the board.
Urban high school kid Moses Middleton hoped that chess competition could be a ticket out of mediocrity, but everything goes pear-shaped after a disastrous tournament. That’s when he meets Viktor, a mad Russian grandmaster who agrees to coach the team by revealing the secrets of Soviet chess. Together with his crew -- charismatic psychopath P.D. Morales, gifted violinist and expert fencer Esther Toussaint, shy anime fan Maggie Wang, and the new boy, Albanian chess wizard Zamir Hoxha -- Moses vows to take the world of New York City scholastic chess by storm. But trouble’s on the way, in the form of neighborhood bullies, a vengeful vice principal, racist gentrifiers, the snooty rich kids from Galton Prep, and, worst of all, a sexual predator who could destroy a young woman’s life and the team’s newfound solidarity.
Perfect for young fans of The Queen's Gambit, this "YA masterpiece" ( Indie Reader ) combines humor, drama, and social insight.
Praise from Amazon and Goodreads
★★★★★ Fabulous read. This has it Great characters, witty dialogue, wonderful ending. It's brilliant.
★★★★★ The universe of PUSHING PAWNS is one I’d like to inhabit, with characters I’d love to befriend.
★★★★★ Touching, real and yet hopeful in these anxious dark times, and beautifully written.
★★★★★ Readers will find themselves cheering the chess club on through their triumphs.
★★★★★ A story of friendship, challenges, teamwork, and loyalty. It is a high-quality YA read.
156 pages, Paperback
Published October 22, 2021
About the author
Dima Novak
2 books17 followersDima Novak is the pen name of a chess-mad patzer living in Jackson Heights, Queens.
The photo, sadly, is not me. It is the incomparable Mikhail Botvinnik, who is much discussed in "Pushing Pawns."
The photo, sadly, is not me. It is the incomparable Mikhail Botvinnik, who is much discussed in "Pushing Pawns."
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 11, 2021
BEST YA novel ever, would have been my fave when I was young -- commie, touching, real and yet hopeful in these anxious dark times, and beautifully written. Recommend it for kids maybe 8 to 15, but I'm giving it to my friends in the retiree rocking chairs too because it's such a pleasure. In a witty and really gracefully contrived teenager's style, Moses Middleton narrates his life and adventures as a high school freshman in rapidly gentrifying Jackson Heights, Queens, NY, steering his friends against a tide of obstacles (sex, race and class, folks, but definitely sick of fake woke) from atomized half assery to solidarity and commitment under the guidance of "their Mr. Miyagi," former Soviet grandmaster Viktor Fleischmann. Chess sequences are written with a pulse-elevating verve that reminded me of the thrill of Patrick O'Brian writing his sea battles or describing music. Can't wait for the first sequel of the promised series and further adventures of "Grandmaster Fleisch and the Furious Five."
February 18, 2022
Pushing Pawns is the first installment of The Chess Club series by debut YA author Dima Novak. 14 year-old Moses Middleton is the founder and head of his high school's chess club, who believes that chess is his ticket out of his dull life. But a crushing defeat at a local tournament leaves Moses and the other members: Esther, Maggie and PD in low spirits. With Moses and the rest of the club drifting apart, despite the addition of new member Zamir, the chess club is in danger of disbanding. Hoping to bring the club members together Moses enlists the help of Viktor, an elderly Russian chess grand master, to coach the club in the ways of soviet chess. Moses is observant, yet thoughtful and funny, which makes his narrative especially entertaining. Readers will find themselves cheering him and the rest of the chess club on through their triumphs. Novak tackles some sensitive topics including bullying, racism and abuse, yet handles them in a tactful and age appropriate manner. Fans of The Queen's Gambit will love this debut.
October 12, 2021
This YA novel is free on kindle this week and I grabbed it. Plan to start it this weekend with my daughter and I expect if you have a budding chess prodigy (or heck just a precocious youth who ate up TheQueensGambit show on netflix) that you'll want to get a free copy as well.
Five stars for free
Five stars for free
July 19, 2023
A book (series) I wish I had next to me when I was young teenager filled with hope (still am filled with hope just not that young anymore), great life struggles were crystalizing, even greater friendships made, entering society as an equal member, new blood ready to collectively push the scales over the edge but with endless hurdles on the way, endless unknowns and endless questions! This is the story about all these things and an honest, down to earth, thrilling and completely plausible adventure filled with such vibrant characters you can relate to, and most importantly their growing up and struggles against all the real impediments of the class society from (initially!) teenager's perspective.
What sets this apart from other similar contemporary stories is not confining teenagers to the stereotypical limits but as future of our world with all the complexities and drives to improve our lot first instinctively; and as series progress, more consciously.
All this coupled with witty writing approach is a best gift one can give to any teenager to make this one of his favorite books!
What sets this apart from other similar contemporary stories is not confining teenagers to the stereotypical limits but as future of our world with all the complexities and drives to improve our lot first instinctively; and as series progress, more consciously.
All this coupled with witty writing approach is a best gift one can give to any teenager to make this one of his favorite books!
March 9, 2022
Pushing Pawns is like your favorite sports movie in all the best ways. A group of kids, each with their own concerns and problems, coming together under the unlikely leadership of one of their own, with the tutelage of a gruff-yet-endearing former master of the game. It sounds cheesy, but the author makes it work, grounding the story in a vivid and fully developed setting, with characters who are unique, well-rounded, and an absolute delight. The story touches on a lot of themes, from big ideas like communism, gentrification, racism, and abuse to more quietly ordinary themes like friendship, community, and teenage crushes. There's a lot going on, but the author handles it well, in a way that felt very organic. With so many weighty themes, story could have been told from a much grittier, darker angle, but I think the angle of hope and optimism worked well.
January 15, 2022
The diverse, ragtag group of urban kids comprising a chess club at public school Q722 in New York are three decades too young to have any memories of the Cold War and the Collapse of the Soviet Union. However, for the narrator of PUSHING PAWNS — gifted 14-year-old Moses Middleton — latter-day evaluation of socialism and the Red Scare are the background chatter of his left-leaning parents and grandparents while he and his teammates try (and fail) to excel at the game.
Fortunately, socialist sympathizers have interesting friends and connections, one of whom is Viktor Fleishmann, an elderly Soviet chess grandmaster who now spends frosty mornings in New York parks playing games and reading old papers written in Cyrillic. I imagine him as the type of man who never irons his pants and breaks the filters off American cigarettes, so they taste more like the ones he smoked in Novosibirsk when he was 12.
Readers can guess early where this story heads, but what separates it from being a typical hero’s journey with an eccentric mentor, or a clumsy Ayn Rand-like political missive, is Novak’s ingenious setup. Chess is not an allegory for the state of affairs between great nations. Rather, chess philosophy and playing style help explain the unique ways the two superpowers interpreted life and society in the late 20th century. It makes a powerful argument for the virtues of both.
These story elements are timely, with renewed interest in both chess (the Queens Gambit) and Soviet Russia (Chernobyl, the Americans), but if chess strategy and political allegory sound too heady for an engaging young adult read, fear not. Novak creates a fun, fast-paced, high-stakes narrative that requires no advance knowledge of either chess or the cold war. His game descriptions are masterful and exciting, even to the layperson. Soviet chess playing method becomes the ancient religion our heroes unearth to give them an advantage against a well-funded preparatory school. If that isn’t a great hook, I don’t know what is.
The universe of PUSHING PAWNS is one I’d like to inhabit, with characters I’d love to befriend. Middleton is mixed race but phenotypically black with hyper-educated parents — worth mentioning when so much literature expects black teen characters to be touched by gun violence and broken families. His friend Esther is a masterful violinist and sabreuse; P.D. is a gay Judd Nelson; and my favorite character, Zamir, is an Albanian immigrant with the sort of amazing tee shirts I know southeastern Europeans to wear.
Written during a time of extreme isolation, the concept of a gang of friends who support each other is appealing. It’s nice to crawl into a book where teens can hang out together, unmasked.
Novak’s use of expository dialogue and narrative occasionally feels a bit more “telly” rather than “showy,” but it’s fascinating enough to be forgivable. The only thing I wish might have been different — and this is a small quibble indeed — was the resolution of a subplot in which Mose’s friend Molly is vulnerable and in imminent danger of falling into the hands of a leering uncle. I won’t spoil how it shakes out, but I’d prefer if she had a little more agency. Hardly a dealbreaker.
All the best teen reads today are indie, and PUSHING PAWNS is no exception. Novak executes his story with a clear love of chess, a deft understanding of Soviet society, and a keen openness to reevaluating cold war history. Smart middle graders and young adults will enjoy the primary storyline, while aging GenXers will recall — and question — the world of their youth.
Don’t miss it. As clever as it is smart, Dima Novak’s PUSHING PAWNS twists a tale of public school chess competitions into a gratifying story of classism, teamwork, loyalty, friendship, and sweet, sweet revenge.
Fortunately, socialist sympathizers have interesting friends and connections, one of whom is Viktor Fleishmann, an elderly Soviet chess grandmaster who now spends frosty mornings in New York parks playing games and reading old papers written in Cyrillic. I imagine him as the type of man who never irons his pants and breaks the filters off American cigarettes, so they taste more like the ones he smoked in Novosibirsk when he was 12.
Readers can guess early where this story heads, but what separates it from being a typical hero’s journey with an eccentric mentor, or a clumsy Ayn Rand-like political missive, is Novak’s ingenious setup. Chess is not an allegory for the state of affairs between great nations. Rather, chess philosophy and playing style help explain the unique ways the two superpowers interpreted life and society in the late 20th century. It makes a powerful argument for the virtues of both.
These story elements are timely, with renewed interest in both chess (the Queens Gambit) and Soviet Russia (Chernobyl, the Americans), but if chess strategy and political allegory sound too heady for an engaging young adult read, fear not. Novak creates a fun, fast-paced, high-stakes narrative that requires no advance knowledge of either chess or the cold war. His game descriptions are masterful and exciting, even to the layperson. Soviet chess playing method becomes the ancient religion our heroes unearth to give them an advantage against a well-funded preparatory school. If that isn’t a great hook, I don’t know what is.
The universe of PUSHING PAWNS is one I’d like to inhabit, with characters I’d love to befriend. Middleton is mixed race but phenotypically black with hyper-educated parents — worth mentioning when so much literature expects black teen characters to be touched by gun violence and broken families. His friend Esther is a masterful violinist and sabreuse; P.D. is a gay Judd Nelson; and my favorite character, Zamir, is an Albanian immigrant with the sort of amazing tee shirts I know southeastern Europeans to wear.
Written during a time of extreme isolation, the concept of a gang of friends who support each other is appealing. It’s nice to crawl into a book where teens can hang out together, unmasked.
Novak’s use of expository dialogue and narrative occasionally feels a bit more “telly” rather than “showy,” but it’s fascinating enough to be forgivable. The only thing I wish might have been different — and this is a small quibble indeed — was the resolution of a subplot in which Mose’s friend Molly is vulnerable and in imminent danger of falling into the hands of a leering uncle. I won’t spoil how it shakes out, but I’d prefer if she had a little more agency. Hardly a dealbreaker.
All the best teen reads today are indie, and PUSHING PAWNS is no exception. Novak executes his story with a clear love of chess, a deft understanding of Soviet society, and a keen openness to reevaluating cold war history. Smart middle graders and young adults will enjoy the primary storyline, while aging GenXers will recall — and question — the world of their youth.
Don’t miss it. As clever as it is smart, Dima Novak’s PUSHING PAWNS twists a tale of public school chess competitions into a gratifying story of classism, teamwork, loyalty, friendship, and sweet, sweet revenge.
June 10, 2023
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Pushing Pawns: The Chess Club Book One
Author: Dima Novak
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 5/5
Of the 15 readers:
15 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
15 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
14 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
15 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“Cool story, lots going on, never boring. Loved it! Good ending too.” Girl reader, aged 15
“I never knew what was going to happen next! I liked all the characters. I particularly liked how it ended.” Boy, aged 15
“The author’s good at putting over young, teenage characters in a realistic way. Not a lot of authors can do that.” Boy, aged 15
“This is sort of an ‘inner city kids’ sort of novel. I thought it was refreshingly different with fun, over-the-top characters I enjoyed getting to know. If you like rooting for the underdogs, this is for you.” Girl, aged 14
“I thought this book was cool. I liked the young characters and how different they all were. Also, I thought chess was original for a YA novel; all I ever see is gaming novels! I’d recommend it to 13 – 15 year olds.” Boy, aged 14
To Sum It Up:
‘A superbly plotted YA novel packed full of twists and turns! A FINALIST and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Pushing Pawns: The Chess Club Book One
Author: Dima Novak
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 5/5
Of the 15 readers:
15 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
15 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
14 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
15 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“Cool story, lots going on, never boring. Loved it! Good ending too.” Girl reader, aged 15
“I never knew what was going to happen next! I liked all the characters. I particularly liked how it ended.” Boy, aged 15
“The author’s good at putting over young, teenage characters in a realistic way. Not a lot of authors can do that.” Boy, aged 15
“This is sort of an ‘inner city kids’ sort of novel. I thought it was refreshingly different with fun, over-the-top characters I enjoyed getting to know. If you like rooting for the underdogs, this is for you.” Girl, aged 14
“I thought this book was cool. I liked the young characters and how different they all were. Also, I thought chess was original for a YA novel; all I ever see is gaming novels! I’d recommend it to 13 – 15 year olds.” Boy, aged 14
To Sum It Up:
‘A superbly plotted YA novel packed full of twists and turns! A FINALIST and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
February 21, 2022
Moses Middleton runs a subpar school chess club when he meets Viktor, a Russian grandmaster. Viktor agrees to teach Moses and his friends the ins and out of Soviet chess. Moses, Zamir, Esther, Maggie, and P.D. are determined to become some of the best chess players in New York City. On the way, they face challenges of racism, stuck-up rich kids, and a perverted sexual predator.
Pushing Pawns is book one of The Chess Club series. It is a great YA read with quality writing, loveable characters, and a meaningful storyline.
It's hard to read this book and not relate to at least one of the characters. Although there are five main characters, more become prominent later in the story. Each is written with colorful backgrounds and realistic problems. As the reader, you get different perspectives and the issues other individuals face. No person is the same. I thought this was a great message to have woven into the story.
The plot follows the Chess club and the competitions the five friends enter. Through this, you see how the characters develop and tackle their problems. The story is well written, and the plot moves well. I thought the balance between establishing the characters and the progression of the story worked well.
Pushing Pawns is a story of friendship, challenges, teamwork, and loyalty. It is a high-quality YA read.
Pushing Pawns is book one of The Chess Club series. It is a great YA read with quality writing, loveable characters, and a meaningful storyline.
It's hard to read this book and not relate to at least one of the characters. Although there are five main characters, more become prominent later in the story. Each is written with colorful backgrounds and realistic problems. As the reader, you get different perspectives and the issues other individuals face. No person is the same. I thought this was a great message to have woven into the story.
The plot follows the Chess club and the competitions the five friends enter. Through this, you see how the characters develop and tackle their problems. The story is well written, and the plot moves well. I thought the balance between establishing the characters and the progression of the story worked well.
Pushing Pawns is a story of friendship, challenges, teamwork, and loyalty. It is a high-quality YA read.
October 30, 2024
This felt like a reach; a book trying desperately to be YA and relatable, flipping back and forth between slang like “muffa” and more formal vocabulary. The view point of our main character was simply not consistent. The story also lacked complexity and depth. Every obstacle was very easily overcome by a quick conversation with one of the many characters living amongst our main character, in a way that made them feel as props to the story and not stand alone, realistic, members of the overall community mentioned in this story.
August 7, 2024
What a pleasant surprise! This book was amazing! I am in my early 30s and I adored every part of it. You have some very important lessons and serious topics covered, but with a lot of humor and loving characters. I especially loved Moses, P.D. and Victor. Definitely recommend this for younger and adult folks.
March 15, 2022
Pushing Pawns is an excellent story. The many characters in the story are likable and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the indictments of the society that the author makes. Young readers will like the conversations among characters.
May 19, 2022
We are proud to announce that PUSHING PAWNS: The Chess Club Book #1 by Dima Novak has been honored with the B.R.A.G.Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.
March 30, 2023
Leftism and life lessns through chess,
i love how the book uses the gamee of chess and examines it in ways i haven't seen before. And how Mose lears lessons about life, society an history through a chessboard.
i love how the book uses the gamee of chess and examines it in ways i haven't seen before. And how Mose lears lessons about life, society an history through a chessboard.
May 24, 2024
Witty and enjoyable
What a delight! I loved the themes of loyalty, commitment, strategy, perseverance and teamwork, anchored in the world of scholastic chess. The characters and plot unfolded in fun and rich ways that were truly a delight .
What a delight! I loved the themes of loyalty, commitment, strategy, perseverance and teamwork, anchored in the world of scholastic chess. The characters and plot unfolded in fun and rich ways that were truly a delight .
January 18, 2022
Best YA novel I've read. The Queen's Gambit + Catcher in the Rye, with left-wing politics.
July 8, 2024
Not my kinda book, but beautifully written
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews