Kasparov Against the World

I picked this book up used as it just looked nice. The book has a forward by Bill Gates which is really nothing special. The format of the book is what makes it so pleasant to read. It's written by Kasparov in first person in a diary format. If you're familiar with Chernev's "Logical Chess Move by Move" or similar books where each and every move from the first to the last is explained and like that format then you'll love this book. It's really only "instructional" if you're at Kasparov's level. However, this is not marketed as an instructional book. It gives fantastic insight to Kasparov's thoughts as the game progressed. All of the things going on in his life on the side as this game moved forward through the months. And let's not forget the game itself. What a blast to read! Not the typical draw that a lot of strong strong games end in. But a win in a style that only Kasparov could serve up. If you want something you can learn from, I don't suggest this book. If you want a book that you can read a few pages before you go to bed every night, this is just for you. You don't need to set up a chessboard to read this book. It should also be noted that this book is not one of those typical chess books in that it's not double-column pages with tiny text and more notation than text. This is far more words than notation. That's what makes this book so easy and fun to read.

The combination of Garry Kasparov and Microsoft makes for the most compelling chess read I've known to date. Anyone who is interested in the internet and chess must own this book!