Rating: 
Summary: More chess please!
Review: I enjoyed reading the book because the prose was readable and the story is so compelling. It would take colossal ineptitude to make this story unworthy of reading. The chess match of the century, the Cold War backdrop, the drama of the proceedings, and most importantly the titanic chess struggle between two fo the unquestioned greats of the game. I am relatively knew to chess literature so I can't comment on how much of the information in this book is earth shattering. My sense from reading it is that more insight is gained on the Russian side and the dissension within Spassky's camp. The subtitle is revealing in that clearly the authors place a lot of the blame in the Russian defeat on the Spassky's genteelness with an ungentlemanly opponent. Some of the background asides seemed real basic. I don't really need speculation on the possible Freudian implications of Fischer's psychology for example. What was really lacking for me, however was depth into the chess. Many people will read this book with no exposure to chess and I don't think enough is done hear to communicate the beauty of the games which were played and how the protagonists personalities played out on the chess board. At the very least, it would have been tremendously helpful to have the moves for all the games in an appendix for those who wanted to see the chess. I enjoyed the story but felt that these were two reporters doing a job that one reporter and a thorough chess historian could have done so much better. Read it and enjoy it because it's the best material on a fascinating story, but pray that an even better history of this match comes out when Spassky releases his autobiography. 3.5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Great storytelling...
Review: I have been a chess enthusiast for over 3 years now, and (was) really fascinated by the character of Bobby Fischer and his contribution to chess. I however, was under the impression that his masterpeices were just natural free flowing energy over the chessboard, and did not know anything about his rants, raves and his outrageously ridiculous demands and skewed views of life. The book starts off by explaining the real-life political "chess game" between the United States and the then Soviet Union in the cold war era, and sets the stage for one of the biggest chess games of the last century - more than the championship, the pride of two nations almost at war was at stake there. The book not-so-subtly highlights the oppressive and dictatorial tactics used by the then hard-core communist Russia, even on chess players. This insight gave me the best possible grounds to judge the character and the mental state of Spassky in the match - he is human, and a very generous, calm and a gentle one at that. Fischer on the other hand was a let down. My hero, the enigma which drew me towards the game in general was exposed as a really really weak human being, falling just short of a madman. The authors probably understand the enormous number of Fischer fans who are out there (and who are likely to buy this book and read it) and hence tried to get the message across in an extremely subtle manner. The games Spassky lost are told to be lost on account of mistakes akin to those made by patzers at the club level. The book seemed daring - it touches a side of chess championship game not quite written anywhere else. The writing seems dry at times, but that is just because the authors had to include those parts to maintain the integrity of the story, and there is no way they could have made it more interesting. All in all, a great book and one of those which does not suck up to Fischer because of his greatness at the game - rather exposing him as a failed individual.
Rating:
Summary: Great Chess Book!!! Buy and Read Today
Review: I loved reading this book. Very exciting. Bobby Fischer against the world (at least in his head). I rate this book as three stars, I like "Searching for Bobby Fischer" much more (five stars). They never found Bobby in Searching for Bobby Fischer but this book, Bobby Fishcer Goes to War does an excellent job of documenting his strategies and the internal makeup of what caused his internal war inside. I recommend you but this book today.
Rating:
Summary: Great Chess Book!!! Buy and Read Today
Review: I loved reading this book. Very exciting. Bobby Fischer against the world (at least in his head). I rate this book as three stars, I like "Searching for Bobby Fischer" much more (five stars). They never found Bobby in Searching for Bobby Fischer but this book, Bobby Fishcer Goes to War does an excellent job of documenting his strategies and the internal makeup of what caused his internal war inside. I recommend you but this book today.
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing tale
Review: I managed to get my hands on an advance copy of this book and found it an absorbing account of this historic match, and I recommend it heartily. Another imaginitive tale of chess history and the chess culture is J.C. Hallman's The Chess Artist, a narrative nonfiction tale of two friends, one a writer and the other a black chess master, and their sojurn to a wide range of chess venues, including a breathtaking trip to Kalmykia to meet FIDE's Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. These two books, Bobby Fischer Goes to War and The Chess Artist, show that the chess world is alive and vibrant, and these stories are eloquent appeals to those who love good writing and good histories.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!!
Review: I really like this book. I disagree with anyone who says otherwise. Especially with people who say it needs more chess in it... If you want more chess, why not just go buy one that has nothing but chess games and annotations... This book gave me more knowledge on what Bobby Fischer is really like. Before I read this book, I already idolized Bobby Fischer, but afterwards, I loved him even more! I really recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about Bobby Fischer, and not about chess or the coldwar ect... I think once you read this book, you'll realize that Bobby Fischer is truly the best chess player ever, no arguments needed!
Rating:
Summary: Cold War or Not to Cold War- That is the Question.
Review: I think it is a fair assessment of Edmonds' and Eidinow's thesis that the 1972 World Chess Championship was not a Cold War event- per se. These authors undoubtedly when to great lengths to research this book and provide conclusive evidence the match in Reykjavik held a unique niche as a "somewhat" Cold War event. However, this text presents itself to a scholarly community of historians who are interested in this topic with a dreadful lack of footnotes, references and source-guides. Simply put, the extensive bibliographic section of this text is useless because we (as readers) can never be sure where each important fact came from. We also don't know how many of the bibliographic sources were actually consulted. I get the impression (as a historian) that these authors padded their bibliography with any source they could find that might be relevant in an attempt to add validity to their research. Further, I feel that their often long and irrelevant digressions detract from the histiography they are trying to produce. Lastly, their thesis is unclear. At one point they tell us the 1972 match was NOT a Cold War event- but then they give us information (such as Nixon's letters and the importance of the match to Russian culture) that prove otherwise. Much later they tell us that the match did have *some* Cold War analogs and that Fischer and Spassky (and even their delegation) "dramatized" many of the dichotomies of the east and the west in the Cold War. They tell us this after having assaulted us with facts and anecdotes that they hope will show that nether Fischer nor Spassky accurately represented the values of their respective countries, and for that reason they conclude that this match was not a Cold War struggle. Generally, these authors contend that that match was *somewhat* Cold War-ish, but then prove to us through their argumentation that is was VERY Cold War oriented. Confusing argumentation and a lack of citations make this useless as a historical account or a political study- however it is an interesting read.
Rating:
Summary: The Cold War Comes to Iceland
Review: I'm a chess player. And just about every chess player finds themselves fascinated by the enigma that is Bobby Fischer. Possibly the strongest player ever (though many will put forth other players as possibly stronger), who almost single-handedly changed the rules (and the prize money) for tournament players everywhere, he is also the only man to ever forfeit the World Championship, the only one to earn almost universal disgust for his anti-Semite and anti-American diatribes. This book details the events and characters that led up to the 1972 World Championship match in Reykjavik, Iceland. You don't have to be a chess player to read this (almost none of the actual game details are covered here - there are many other books that perform this task). The focus is on how a lone American challenged for and finally won the world title, a title that had been held by the Soviets since the end of World War II. The Cold War between these two countries forms the backdrop for this encounter, and incredible as it may sound, diplomats, lawyers, the KGB, high political figures in both countries, and multi-millionaires helped create and shape many of the events leading to the match - for a game that had, at the time, perhaps 10,000 serious adherents in the U.S. The authors delve deeply into the characters of both Bobby and Boris Spassky, giving a large amount of biographical detail, some of which is either not widely known or newly revealed here, using as sources both FBI files and documents from the KGB and other Soviet agencies. Their assessments of the mental state of both participants will generally ring true, amply supported by documents, interview material, photos and assessments by other grandmasters, though at times I thought they may have gone a bit overboard with generalizations. Also well presented is the political and chess climate that swirled around the match itself and the InterZonal and Candidates Matches leading to it. Much of this information was originally published somewhat piecemeal by both the regular and chess press, and often left many areas of confusion and blank spots in what was really happening. Here it is well organized, rich in detail, and brought back to me the feeling of just what it was like back in '72. The fate of the participants after the match is also covered, including the 1992 re-match between Bobby and Boris, though not nearly in the level of detail of the main event. The picture painted of both players is somewhat saddening, one for his descent into near-psychosis, the other for his fall from grace in the USSR and his personal troubles. For anyone who has a passing interest in chess, or who likes to read about classic clashes between the lone hero and the staid and possibly nefarious establishment, this is an excellent book. For Americans, it will engender feelings of pride, shame, and total embarrassment at some of the inexcusably rude actions and statements by those on that side. For Russians, perhaps sadness at opportunities missed, and anger at their own bungling. For everyone, a rich historical adventure, with more twists than a James Bond movie. --- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
Rating:
Summary: The Mother of All Matches
Review: If Bobby Fischer's name is affiliated with a book, it comes to reason that there is some amount of weirdness forthcoming. I am not referring to the chess books Fischer wrote, as those are guidelines to chess perfection. This refers to any discussion of his life, which this book does. The world's greatest chess player, Fischer, has lived his personal life much less logically than his life is an eight by eight square cell. To help the nonchess reader sort out the menagerie, authors David Edmonds and John Eidinow provide a "Dramatis Personae," listing 21 Americans, 24 Soviets, six Icelanders, four match officials, and six sundry others, explaining their relationship to the Reykjavik, Iceland chess match. They also include a short glossary to educate us in the vocabulary of competitive chess. The book begins with a vital quote by Boris Spassky, "When you play Bobby, it is not a question of whether you win or lose. It is a question of whether you survive. This sets the tone for all that follows. Edmonds and Eidinow lay out the social mire Fischer was growing up in, and his quick rise to chess dominance. In 1954, when Fischer was 11, he was attending matches and doing well enough but not at his later prodigy level. In that year, as he is quoted, he "just got good." Modern chess history, or at least for one its most colorful characters, begins then. 1972: Boris Spassky was the champ. He deserved to be there. Bobby Fischer was the contender. He deserved to have the opportunity. Between these two men stood a world of complex politics, money, national pride, idiosyncrasies, and suitors to the game. Reykjavik, Iceland was the location of what has become one of the most legendary chess matches ever, between Spassky and Fischer. Early on during Fischer's career, he had the same impact Michael Jordan would later enjoy later enjoy as professional basketball player. "Fischer-fear" was the description of some players' psychosomatic illnesses from Fischer's intimidation. Opponents would make mistakes as a result. Fischer had the bravado of Muhammad Ali, but none of his class. He would take this personality and boorish demands to the match. Boris Spassky is painted differently. A product of the Soviet support system, he became professional about the game. Affable and popular, an opposite to in every way to Fischer, he still had what Fischer lacked -- the title "World Champion." The bulk of the book moves on from biography and personality profiles. It follows the path the chess culture -- all chaotic in its apparent systemic approach. Going from the need to compete to the actual match turned through every convoluted corner, with Kissinger's involvement, the FBI, the KGB, and as much intrigue as a James Bond movie. The travails of the match are outlined as needed (but not heavily), highlighting the most interesting parts and never boring nonchess players. The psychology of the players and chess players in general is discussed, as is the history of modern champions, providing a field for tension and a framework for the match. This was in the midst of the Cold War, and the Soviets -- not just Spassky, owned the chess champ title. Nixon was president. Fischer, the bombastic, arrogant American who hated Russia, had a knack for successfully risking it all on the board by knowing the principles of chess as a sublime art form. Spassky, the methodical Russian, against Fischer, became a symbol of the Cold war itself. The image of the match was only half of the matter. Neither man was the caricature the press saw them as, but such are the stories of legend. I fully recommend "Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time," by David Edmonds and John Eidinow. Oh, and if you somehow missed the big news back in 1972, Fischer won the match. Anthony Trendl
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't even finish it!
Review: In a nutshell, the authors mistake an interesting subject for a fascinating one. Consequently, I gave up on this book about halfway through it. Infinitesimal and ad nauseum detail about the back-and-forth involved in arranging the match and about what all it took to get Bobby Fischer on the plane just got to be too much for me. In my estimation, the book goes on for far too long and bogs down too many times in unnecessary detail about things that simply do not aid in the progression of the story.
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