Gentlemen & Checkmate
936928
This is a delectable mystery: complex, humorous, cat and mouseish.  I loved Ms. Harris' other book CHOCOLAT, and was delighted to see her try her hand at a mystery.  As a former headmistress of a private school in Connecticut, I can vouch that malevolent characters can cause a LOT of damage to a school.  So, this is very realistic in its dynamics.

The book is worth reading for the character of the protagonist Straitly alone and his wry comments.  His cataloging of the different personalities found at private schools is priceless and dead on, excuse the pun.  A group of mystery lovers who read this book is discussing GENTLEMEN AND PLAYERS as our "mystery of the month" beginning February 1, 2011 at the mystery threads on Amazon.  Please feel welcome to join us, and offer your viewpoints on this intriguing book! We welcome diverse opinions.
534785
Excellent book gentlemen..  I found it extremely helpful in the mindset component in chapter 5.  Very insightful and helpful in determining my path!  Looking forward to reading more!
4586139
I bought this for my grandson (age 7) at his request.  I think his father likes it just as much as the boy and they have spent hours together playing chess.  Well constructed board, box for all the men with elastic straps to keep them in place.  A good buy for any age.
4894263
Another outstanding performance from Liev Schreiber!  His understated take on Boris Spassky accurately portrays a rare gentleman of the chess world.

I took up the game in college because of this now-legendary match-up, and watched the movie to see if they got the moves right.  They did.
2783102
I enjoy both books very much, Mr Baisden you did an awesome job writing about men and how they think. It will help me in my new relationship.
1047931
My favorite military chess match. Two types of commanders matching strategies.
2074623
My expectations were exceeded. Finely crafted chess men matched perfectly to an equally well turned board. The information concerning the evolution of Man Ray's design was a bonus.
3402172
The pieces are handsome & smooth to the touch.  They offer the very opposite experience of electronic gaming & are utterly satisfying, with one deficit.  They're perfectly fair; I don't always win!  The bonus? An articulate & thorough set of rules for a game that's too often dismissed as a poor cousin to chess.
4645160
Although this game is pegged by slogans on the box that say "A Game for a Couple," I believe this is a great game for any two people that would like to get to know one another better, especially when there may be some ice yet to break -- or simply huge differences in lifestyle that one does not want to make an issue about.

I love the way the game promises not to put you in a terribly embarrasing spot trying to answer your question. That is great when it is what you want -- but sometimes you just really want to get to know the other person without feeling too threatened and just have a good time.

My only real criticism of this game is the foo-foo packaging. It's about as sexy as a cup of coffee in the break room at Good Housekeeping. (BORING.) Also, the actual game board is small and flimsy looking, the artwork strictly late-fifties housewife mode. Hey, but if there was anything to have wrong with the game I'd rather those things. Oh, one other thing is I think it would not have been that hard to make this into a game playable by up to 4 people but the game only offers to player pieces and one die and the very small game board, which seems a bit of a shame, especially since it is not exactly an inexpensive game.

All in all, though I give it TWO THUMBS UP!  I'll be using it both to get to know a new suitor better -- and to get to know a niece I never met before.

P.S. One thing I forgot to mention which to me is a real plus: hundreds of these question cards are adorned with quotes. Love them quotations! Someone (or some people) put a LOT of time and thought into putting this game together, and they did a swell job.  (smile)
1267719
This is an excellent game for those tired of playing AGAINST each other.  The players MUST work together or all is lost.  In this sense it is faithful to Tolkien's books.
While I have some reservations about how many times it can be played before "patterns" of play emerge, the first 20 games I've played have been fun and fufilling.
A quick game, beautifully package and produced.  A wonderful addition to any collection.  A must for those who don't need an individual winner.
3933025
In this novel, a masterful Kawabata describes the game of go between Shusai and Otake in 1938, which was the last game Shusai, the old master, ever played. The match was played over 14 sessions and many months and it became a struggle for survival more than just a game of go. The author shows his ability for conveying a lot of emotions from very little action. What I mean by this is that there are few actions taken by the players when playing this game, but a lot can be read into them. Things like clock management, deciding when to leave your opponent the responsibility of playing a sealed move, or simply just sitting there and making your opponent wait for hours for your obvious move when he is not physically well, are indications of how much can be read behind the apparent stillness and gentleness surrounding the match.

I believe that even people who have not played go before will enjoy this book. It is true, there are several portions in which specific moves are discussed, but I believe that there is still many things to be appreciated in this work for those that do not really care about the game. The fight of youth vs. experience is exemplified to its maximum and Kawabata manages to get us to care for the old master almost as much as he did.

I found it interesting that the author decided to keep the real name of the master, Shusai, in the text, while changing the name of the challenger to Otake (the player was Minoru Kitani. I feel that Kawabata was clearly partial to the master, and portrays the challenger in a light that although not condemnatory, gives a lot of room for thinking of him as a Machiavellian player. I wonder if changing the name was a way to say he was trying to protect his true identity from the portrayal in the book, even though it is clear who the player was regardless.

The bottom line is that this is a very good novel, with plenty of nuances through it's pages and that can be appreciated by everyone. Of course, if you are a go player you will probably get even more satisfaction from it.
3462854
This is a chess book, one that uses chess960 (FRC) as tool to better understand chess.  Traditional "chess1" is a subset of chess960.  Thus chess1 has revealed to us only a subset of what there is to learn about fundamental chess.

The first World Checkers Championship match was won by Andrew Anderson in 1847.  Did you know that in 1900 the Checkers world switched to their version of the same idea as chess960?  Checkers156 anybody?!

There is a lot to say about chess when viewed through the lens of chess960.  As just one example, the setup attribute named "knight opposition" has never been so clearly identified before as in this book.  The one setup reused in traditional "chess1" has the value of "Full" for this attribute, but only 11% of all chess960 setups have that exact same value.  The other 89% of setups have something interesting for chess enthusiasts that they have been missing out on.

This book is rather visual as chess books go, containing many tables, charts and graphs.  For instance, the section comparing "king fort" designs between chess960 and chess1 is eye-opening.

A companion setup id conversion program is available for download from CastleLong.

  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

PART 1: Beyond the Board

1 Terminology and CRAN Notation

2 The Tyranny of Tradition

3 Formalizing the Rules of Chess960

4 Setup Id Numbers

5 Additional Rules to Consider for Chess960

6 FEN and Chess960

PART 2: New Chess Principles Discovered

7 Strategies for the Modified Setup Phase

8 From Setup Attributes to Opening Moves

9 Is the Middle Game Really the Same?

10 Influences on the Endgame

11 Winning Comparisons

12 Reviewing Our Broadened Understanding of Chess

13 Annotated Games

Diagram Classification Answers

Bibliography
2043363
This is another fine and challenging puzzle fro Charles Wysocki.  I especially appreciate the precision cutting of the puzzle.  (And, just a hint, check your fits twice.)  We had a fine time putting this one together and look forward to his next puzzle.  The artwork is very nice, and this busy scene is fun to study as you work through to the completion of the puzzle.
3933494
This is an excellent starter into the mind of men, more so than the mind of women.  Men should listen too, but women, you must get a handle on your guy's psyche and this will be a relationship saver.
1131530
I like this book every man should read and know how to keep a good relationship. I am enjoying this book. Thank you!
1828881
This is a truly wonderful pack o' games. Who wouldn't like to see the

humorous exploits of Guybrush as he falls in love with a governor,

meets his father,visits an outhouse cleaner's business,raises his great-great-grandfather from the dead,messes up a diorama,and defeats his main enemies,Kim and Gil. Lots o' humor and puzzles. A must-have!

"Hey,this isn't the men's room"

---TI2
4017126
Got this for my future husband as a Christmas present, and he was thrilled to get it! Love playing this game, even if I have to explain some of the cards to certain friends. :-)