Chess Story by Stefan Zweig

Psychology, Chess and Nazism; three themes Stefan Zweig intricately and elegantly weaves only days before he and his wife commit suicide in 1942, in a short, captivating and compelling novella entitled Chess Story. I appreciated this book as it is a one-idea book, it is intriguing, immediate and thought-provoking. I adored the world depicted; cold, austere and calculating, and was mesmerized by certain passages, particularly as we see the protagonist's salvation develop into a dark, detrimental addiction. This book is an extended allegory, Nazism is portrayed in the mind of a logic lover. I admire this approach.