Chess: The History of a Game

Rating:
Summary: Dated--seems like the 1985 version
Review: It seems to me that this book is like the 1985 Batsford version.

Why is it republished in 2002? Any new materials?

Just buy an old version of Murray and be done with it.

Rating:
Summary: The best modern history of chess
Review: Murray's A History of Chess (Oxford 1913) covered the early history of chess in great detail; Eales' Chess: the history of a game is the only recent work on the 1500-year history of chess by a professional historian. Eales covers the history of chess with more emphasis on modern chess than Murray. His judgements are reliable, with the many gaps in our knowledge acknowledged. Eales is a strong amateur player, which has helped him cover modern chess better than Murray (who was a weak player).
The present edition is a reprint of the original hardback edition (Batsford 1985). It is essential reading for anyone interested in the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Great Writing, Poor Text
Review: This is written for the Hardinge Simpole 2002 softcover. The narrative in this book is excellent. Eales writes a history readable for the layman. It is a complete history, from the origins in Islam through to the 1980s. This is, after all, a digital reprint of the 1985 publishing. Which brings me to why I rated this only 3 stars: the print is blurry. Simply put, it looks like poor quality photocopying. With the small font (definitely smaller than 12pt) the fuzzy quality is quite the eye strain.

Rating:
Summary: Great Writing, Poor Text
Review: This is written for the Hardinge Simpole 2002 softcover. The narrative in this book is excellent. Eales writes a history readable for the layman. It is a complete history, from the origins in Islam through to the 1980s. This is, after all, a digital reprint of the 1985 publishing. Which brings me to why I rated this only 3 stars: the print is blurry. Simply put, it looks like poor quality photocopying. With the small font (definitely smaller than 12pt) the fuzzy quality is quite the eye strain.

Rating:
Summary: The Evolution of Chess
Review: Who better to write about the History of Chess than a chess master and well established historian? In Eales' 'Chess - The History of a Game', we are taken through the various influences that cultures and social circles have had on chess through the years. Not only will this book interest the regular chess enthusiast - it will also provide a fascinating read for anyone interested in the evolution of a game - a game that ' has been variously described as a sport, a science or an art' and has captivated peoples for over a thousand years.