The Bottom Line
(July 2007) 'The Chess Team (A Novel)' by James H. Sawaski; iUniverse, Inc.; March 2005; 146 pages.
• 'A scholastic chess coach leads his team through impossible barriers and difficult competitions for a chance at the ultimate prize: a state championship title.' [from the publisher's sales page]
• Contains no games or annotations.
Pros
- James Sawaski's first novel is an entertaining chess story with endearing characters.
- The chess scenes, especially the tournaments and big games, are well drawn and realistic.
- The whole effort appears to contain significant portions based on autobiography.
Cons
- The book has occasional technical problems with grammar, syntax, and style.
- Some scenes are not completely credible: Poly-Sci, Riddick Sea.
- The plot is predictable, although with enough twists to maintain your interest.
Description
- In high school, Jim Berzchak mishandles a won chess game and costs his team the state championship.
- He throws his trophy into the trash and quits playing chess competitively for 15 years.
- Asked by the teenage son of a colleague to help form a school club, he declines.
- He receives a visit from his best friend, another chess player, who convinces him to reconsider.
- So begin three years of the Escanaba Eskimos, whose collective eye is on the state championship.
Guide Review - The Chess Team (A Novel)
'The Chess Team' is a book about chess players by a chess player written for other chess players. The author knows chess and he knows scholastic chess. The tournament scenes are particularly well done and will evoke memories in anyone who has competed for a school championship. The recurring motivational asides ('Be tough!', 'Don't resign!'), together with Berzchak's struggle with the sense of failure that overpowered him for 15 years, will ring true with anyone who has experienced futility with the difficulty of playing chess well.
• Don't expect great literature or a profound look at the inner workings of a chess player's mind. Do expect a good read and a chance to compare the main characters with people you have met in your own chess wanderings.
• Recommended for beach or bedtime reading, those moments when you just aren't interested in wearing your thinking cap. A sequel is in the works.
