How life imitates chess Making the right moves, from the board to the boardroom

With millions of serious chess players and Kasparov a regular in international news headlines, a business manual by the champion-turned-activist seems a no-brainer. Kasparov discusses each element of chess and strains to find parallels in "life" and "the boardroom." Yet the book is surprisingly serious and readable, even if those who persevere won't necessarily be convinced that chess is "an ideal laboratory for the decision-making process." While offering real insight into the game, Kasparov offers somewhat less into general decision making, urging readers to be "aware of your routines, then break them" and emphasizing both "precise calculation" and "intuition and optimism." The author's attempts at chess metaphor are often a stretch: after all, chess matches are one-on-one and win-lose-draw, resembling war far more closely than anything in the boardroom. In fact, Kasparov's examples more often come from the battlefield than from business. Without a more direct business connection, his advice reverts to platitudes ("To achieve success, our strategy must be implemented with accurate tactics"). More engaging are the author's autobiographical anecdotes about his face-off against IBM's Deep Blue computer and his 2005 transition to becoming "a full-time member of the Russian political opposition movement." Kasparov fans will find much to enjoy, but serious business readers should look elsewhere. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Kasparov is no stranger to success, having become the world's youngest World Chess Champion in 1985 at the age of 22. Using anecdotes from his 20-plus-year chess career, he offers his "secret," namely, that you must "become conscious of your decision-making processes" and use that awareness to adapt constantly and improve your business and personal performances. Organized into three broad sections outlining fundamentals (strategy and tactics), evaluation and analysis, and their combination, the text is both coolly logical and engagingly personal. There is no particularly flashy advice here, but the use of the chess metaphor (opening gambit, middlegame, endgame) by one of its grandmasters lends authority to Kasparov's exploration of such traits as strategizing, imagination, aggression, and confidence. Of particular interest is a chapter exploring "material, time, and quality" and how these three factors must be balanced to achieve specific objectives. An epilog detailing his new career in Russian politics, founding the anti-Putin United Civil Front after retiring from professional chess in 2005, seems too much an afterthought, but overall this engaging book will add depth to business collections in academic and public libraries alike.-Sarah Statz Cords, Madison P.L., WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.