A Chess Story

In Zweig’s classic novella, an epic chess match on a transatlantic liner unearths a story of Nazi persecution, madness, and obsession.

“Perhaps the best chess story ever written.” —Economist

A Chess Story, also known as The Royal Game, is the final work completed by the bestselling author of his day. Sent off to his publisher just days before his suicide in 1942, A Chess Story is also the only work where Zweig engages directly with Nazism; he brings all his signature psychological insight and compassion to the tale—but it is also suffused with the darkness of wartime.

Stark, intense, and overpowering, A Chess Story is a grandmaster’s examination of madness and the power of a mind willing to sacrifice everything to win.

Chess champion Mirko Czentovic is travelling on an ocean liner to Buenos Aires. Dull-witted in all but chess, he entertains himself on board by allowing others to challenge him in the game, before beating each of them and taking their money. But there is another passenger with a passion for chess: Dr B, previously driven to insanity during Nazi imprisonment by his torturers—but also by the games played in his imagination. In agreeing to take on Czentovic, what price will Dr B ultimately pay?

Brought vividly to life in a fresh translation by award-winning author Alexander Starritt, this is one of the finest novellas by a master of the form, entirely deserving of its classic status.