Rating: 
Summary: Knowing What Is To Be.
Review: There are many books out there that compare business to other pursuits, but I never found one drawing a correspondence between business and chess. I am not a chess player, or a fan of the game, and frankly am somewhat intimidated by it. But Bruce Pandolfini's compact monograph is less about chess and more about logical thinking. He offers fascinating stories and unusual analogies that are easy to understand and a joy to read. Furthermore, his writing is simple but discerning, and though the book is only a little more than 100 pages, it's chock full of fresh perceptions and neatly encapsulated aphorisms. I enjoyed EVERY MOVE MUST HAVE A PURPOSE so much I read it twice and gave several copies for holiday presents. I wish there were more experts like Mr. Pandolfini, with the ability to express abstractions so clearly and intelligently.
Rating:
Summary: Knowing What Is To Be.
Review: There are many books out there that compare business to other pursuits, but I never found one drawing a correspondence between business and chess. I am not a chess player, or a fan of the game, and frankly am somewhat intimidated by it. But Bruce Pandolfini's compact monograph is less about chess and more about logical thinking. He offers fascinating stories and unusual analogies that are easy to understand and a joy to read. Furthermore, his writing is simple but discerning, and though the book is only a little more than 100 pages, it's chock full of fresh perceptions and neatly encapsulated aphorisms. I enjoyed EVERY MOVE MUST HAVE A PURPOSE so much I read it twice and gave several copies for holiday presents. I wish there were more experts like Mr. Pandolfini, with the ability to express abstractions so clearly and intelligently.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Book
Review: This is a brilliant book. ... It certainly has some useful things to say about business and strategic decision-making, but it is a chess book, written so clearly and universally that even a person focused solely on business and nothing else could still understand and benefit from it. It does not go into chess moves or combinations, although the few times he does talk about them he makes them come alive, such as: "Sometimes a move is right only because it's a little wrong," or "Some moves explain themselves." Pandolfini presents chess ideas so cogently that anyone can appreciate them and see their larger import: "To see what they see, sit where they sit." That is the beauty of what Pandolfini has done here. He has merged straight chess and general culture to appeal to everyone with a discriminating mind. Anyone can read it, even children. Anyone can gain from it, even people stuck in their office. But while the book reaches out to cultivated businesspeople, I see it as a chess book, one of the most stimulating I have encountered in many years.
Rating:
Summary: Packed with Knowledge!
Review: This slim volume, which draws life and business lessons from the game of chess, is one of the better self-help and self-improvement books you're likely to pick up. At only 115 pages, double-spaced, and a mere 20,000 words, the entire book is about the length of a chapter in most other books in its category. Author Bruce Pandolfini includes just enough chess lore to keep the book relevant to chess, but not so much as to overwhelm a chess-averse reader. He writes concisely, as a chess player plays, with a great deal of concentration and quick, quiet decisions expressed in single sentences. The book offers several fine aphorisms, the sort you will remember long after you have put it down. But it's not the kind of book you will want to put down. Fortunately, we are glad to note, it is small enough to fit into a purse or computer bag along with everything else you carry.
Rating:
Summary: Every move DOES have a purpose
Review: Whether you genuinely want to apply chessic principles to business or just want to explore the Pandolfini mythos in more depth, you won't be disapppointed. Quality rather than quantity, substance rather than mere subsistence, this slender volume delivers delightful anecdotes intertwined gracefully in fifteen essays, rank and file, with key concepts and vital chess theory.This book doesn't demand a full commitment right away. Rather one may read one essay at a time, picking and choosing among them to decide which sounds the most useful, or what suits your fancy. While you could read it one long, comfortable sitting, you can instead savor each chapter like a delicacy. You needn't speed through the pages to search out the gem--each chapter is a pearl fit fit for contemplation. And for those persons who may say, 'I don't know anything about chess, I don't play the game...what can this do for me', take a little chance. There are no graphs, no gaming notes, no talk of the game that the rank amateur cannot understand. There is a glossary, should one need it. Besides, the stories liberally sprinkled among the theory are well worth remembering for your next cocktail party. You never know when you'll be seated across from an avid player at lunch. Don't think you can spot them easily--they're everywhere.
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