Najdorf: Life and Games
Author: Tomasz Lissowski, Adrian Mikhalchishin, Miguel Najdorf
Publisher: Batsford
Books
Paperback, 256 pages
Price: £14.99 /$21.95
ISBN 0 7134 8920 0
This is an excellent biography of Grandmaster Miguel Najdorf, in his lifetime he played against no fewer than eleven world champions of chess. I was enthralled by this fine book of a man whose daughter describes as possessing the supreme power of a king, the elegance of a queen, the ubiquitousness of a bishop and the strength of a castle; he had a pawns tenacity and in his movements he would jump with the agility of a knight. Life for him was a game of chess.
Of course many modern players will recall that Najdorf brought us the famous Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence, a variation adopted by two of the games greatest ever World Champions, Bobby Fischer and Gary Kasparov. However the book offers us so much more and, not least of which is an opportunity to accompany a Grandmaster in his journey through chess history in the 20th century. There are 100 of Najdorfs games in this book and these feature outstanding players such as Fischer, Spassky, Keres and many others who are still held in high regard today.
Verdict
Here we have a well informed biography of a famous
player whose games feature original thinking and the very best players
of the 20 th Century. The book is presented to a high standard and is an
excellent mix of a biography and outstanding games of chess. The price
represents outstanding value for money.
