Garry Kasparov's How Life Imitates Chess book promotion blitz of the UK airwaves begins tomorrow. I have his personal appearance schedule so I'm not sure when some of the ones that aren't live air. I just know when he shows up at the studio. Maybe some of our UK readers can fill in the blanks. Some of the shows have sites that should have schedules up. There's a book signing in London on Tuesday.
• Sunday, April 1
11:30-12:30 - ITV, Sunday Edition with Andrew Rawnsley and Andrea Catherwood
• Monday, April 2
9:30-10:45 - BBC Radio 4, Start the Week with Andrew Marr (live)
21:45-22:30 - BBC Radio 3, Night Waves with Philip Dodd (pre-recorded, time is when this show airs according to their website)
13:15-14:00 - BBC Radio Scotland, Radio Café (live)
14:45-15:45 - BBC News 24, HARDtalk (pre-recorded with Stephen Sackur)
17:30-18:00 - BBC News 24, Five O’Clock News with Huw Edwards (live)
18:40 - BBC Radio 2, Chris Evans Drivetime (live)
• Tuesday, April 3
10-10:30 - Sky News, Sunday Live with Adam Boulton (pre-recorded)
14:00-14:45 - BBC Radio 5 Live, Simon Mayo Show (live with Phil Williams, may include listener calls!)
17:30-20:30 - Book signing at Waterstone's Piccadilly, the largest bookstory in Europe.
• Wednesday, April 4
10:00-10:30 - RTÉ Radio 1, Ryan Tubridy Show (Irish national radio) (live)
15:45-17:00 Frost Over the World, David Frost, Al Jazeera TV (pre-recorded)
Then back to Moscow in the evening. Yowza. There are plenty of print interviews and photo shoots squeezed in there too. Speaking of, there has already been something of a Kasparov wave in the press this past week. There was a great profile in the UK Times Magazine; the print version had many good photos. Garry had a new Putin-bashing editorial in The Wall Street Journal on Friday. Time Magazine just ran a piece as well.
Lol... the ITV show was quite funny.
Some quotes: "After the break... chest Grandmaster Garry Kasparov". (Sometimes they pronounced Kasparov correctly, sometimes they didn't really get the SPAR.)
Kinda a pity that he didn't really make a comment directly about the British political scene- it's pretty rare that he does in depth really. He kinda hinted that he didn't want the corrupt Labour regieme to just appoint another leader... "Well since I'm fighting for free and fair elections in Russia, it wouldn't be right to advocate a successor."
The female presenter either acted like she liked Garry or she actually did. She was sat pretty closely next to him. When Garry heard the "chest Grandmaster" bit he stroked under his nose quite quickly. You could kinda feel Garry's energy... wanting to move around a lot and thinking quickly.
"Defensive gambits don't really work," opined the male presenter, "that's what I got out of your book." Garry said he was "much better" at attack than defence, but that you had to play as the position demanded.
He thought that Iran brutally capturing British soldiers was "cold blooded calcuation". He thought America was too overstreched to deal with it.
Overall, I think he gave quite a good representation of chess players.
Is it just me or is the book title plainly wrong?
If at all, it's chess that's imitating life, not the other way around.
"How Life imitates Chess" is like saying "How the earth, revolving around the sun, imitates thit bug that's flying around this light bulb."
"Is it just me or is the book title plainly wrong?"
No, it's a pun on the expression "life imitates art". You're taking it a bit too literally.
Yeah, the book title is quite clever.
"How to sell books with advice on life based on the fact that you are the all-time greatest chess player" would probably be more accurate :)
If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
I read the book last week and all I can say is that it is a waste of a tree.Complete drivel. Nice cover though.
PS The paper is really crap! Reminds me of Book Club editions ... £20 is not good value.
I cant help feeling that Gary Kasparov is in something of a bind here. On the one hand he is involved in a very high profile political campaign in Russia and for these purposes its his political ideas and expression thats most important on the other hand he is a prolific writer of chess (and chess related books)and needs to promote the books. Im not sure how much these kind of interviews add to his credibility as a spokesman for the political movement he is involved in. I would have thought the opposite. By the way Mig the link the the Wall Street Journal article is a bit hopeful - as you have to subscribe to read it not many of us are going to do that. Any chance of a freebie?
Andy - try this:
http://www.bugmenot.com/
:)
While I appreciate your attempts at wit, I'm still waiting for superchess to explain where he got the book a week ago. Especially since I'm holding a copy now and the paper is fine.
And Yuriy, Garry could far more easily have put out the junk book the first publisher wanted over a year ago. Instead, he broke with them at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars because he wanted something more serious and he put a huge amount of work into the project over several years. This is also why he didn't crank out dozens of junk chess books with his name on them while he was world champion.
Andy, we're rating hoping, and so far this has been true, that the book and politics help each other. He gets more invitations to speak because of both and he talks about both, at least where appropriate. Obviously sometimes it needs to be all politics. He's not desperate for cash. He's not going to sell out his name or his cause to sell a few more books.
SonofPearl - thanks for the link nice one. Mig - I can see there might be synergies between the book and the politics. Best of all if the book was on politics or collected essays (his WSJ columns?) perhaps with co authors. Just a thought.
Mig,
I hope Garry didn't take your sense of humor to the UK with him.
I am not suggesting the book is junk--I have not read any of it and will not comment. I am suggesting however that the book will sell based not on quality of advice he offers, but simply on the fact that it's written by Garry Kasparov.
Dear Mig,
May I know which is the correct version to purchase and where to buy it (i.e. amazon, etc).
You said earlier that the US version is different from the UK version. I would like to read the version as written by Kasparov... not the one with too much editing (and removal of content).
regards,
MightyPamir
Sorry, touchy about the stereotypes.
I suppose in a world in which Ahhhnold becomes governor of the richest state in the US, a chess champion starting younger can have a second career, or a third!
The UK and German editions are the most complete and are essentially identical. The German is a direct translation of the UK manuscript with a few small additions for the German audience.
The American edition had much of the chess content removed and several chapters of what Garry and I called "theory" chopped considerably or removed to pick up the pace. The UK edition is definitely the chess fan edition. It has small sections on various chess legends between the chapters with quotes and such. I actually enjoyed reading the American one too. It's a faster pace and has been edited more heavily for clarity. That is, it doesn't put as much on the reader to work out for himself, I'd say.
I have finished reading 'Part I' of the book and have found some of the comparisons between life and chess to be interesting in terms of the analogies given. But, the most intersting parts so far have clearly been ones where Gary talk's about his chess memories - some tournament/game/match or his meeting with some other great players.
The main problem I see with this book is that it is trying to satisfy everyone - which is of course not possible - so it fails in that. The chess players might feel there's hardly any chess and the non-chess players may not get too excited reading about a certain Rook sacrifice played against Topalov.
There are a few sections however where the author(s) do not seem very convincing - at least I couldn't help but get the impression that one of the reasons for writting this book is to showcase Gary as a great thinker even beyond the chess board (I am not saying that he isn't) and promote his political campaign... Again, nothing wrong/unprecedented about that - didn't some ex world champions publish collection of their games in the past so they could get a shot at the title?
As a chess fan (and a Kasparov fan), anything written by Gary is of course interesting. For me, this book is far easier to follow than his analysis :)
Overall rating (so far): '!?'
What I'm REALLY most interested in is what Kasparov feels to be called a "chest Grandmaster". I think it's an issue that world needs to know. Seemed like he quite enjoyed it.
Hey Mig!
I received a review copy from the publishers nearly two weeks ago - you are correct in that it isn`t on sale `till April 5th here in the UK - but the book is a joke - (do you have April Fool`s Day in the States?). Sorry Mig but it is a complete Lemon.
PS Re:your 16th March item - Heinemann are NOT the publishers - it is William Heinemann - TWO DIFFERENT COMPANIES!! 8-)
Sorry, "superchess", it's hard to believe comments like "crap" and "lemon" from someone anonymous but supposedly on a review list. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but such sub-literate grunts don't even indicate you can read, let alone have read the book.
Bit sensitive there Mig? 8-) I`ve read the book from cover to cover but fail to see any merit in it whatsoever.
Maybe that ringing in your ear isn`t tinnitus, just an echo from having your head stuck so far up Gary`s arse (or is that Ass where you come from?).
Of course I'm sensitive. If that's what passes for deduction in your house I can see why you didn't enjoy the book. What does this have to do with Garry? I spent much of MY life over the past eighteen months working on it. If you had the book you might have noticed my name on the title page. Anonymous trolls with comments that can't get beyond "d00d ur book sux!!!!" don't impress.
Looks like Garry didn't make "Start the Week" - was looking forward to listening to that.
Ah, ok - just listened to the end of it and Garry's supposed to be on next week instead.
Hey Mig. Any idea on the great man's itinerary while in Ireland. I think it's his first time to the Emerald isle but I suspect he wont be quaffing a few Guiness. No that would be cool...........
Maybe he's not too public with his plans (Polonium ?)
Please tell him if he fancies a few blitz games I'm available :-)
I vote to rename 'Superchess' to 'Stuperchess'.
Let me see a show of hands please...
:)
I look forward to the UK version. How can I get it here in the states? I hardly want a watered-down, americanized for the sub-illiterate pop-culture futon-sitting lemmings here.
You and Gary should try and get a spot on XMRadio, Channel 163, "Sonic Theater" - Books and Drama.
superchess,
Can you reproduce for us the first sentence on page 85, the last sentence on page 64 and the third paragraph of the next to last chapter?
Just to get a taste of the lemon...
Yuriy
Hi Yuriy
Page 85 is blank except for the section heading Part 2 (Part ii)
Last sentence on Page 64 = " Most things can be broken down ..." & continues on page 65
Ist word of 3rd para of penultimate chapter ("Intuition") is "We" ; last word = "it."
Can`t be bothered to give you all of it. Garry dedicates the book to his mother.
Hey Mig,
The 'rich get richer variation' is simply '!!'
Reutres interview with GK:
http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSEIC54733920070405?src=cms
"For me it's a moral duty," Kasparov said. "I believe my country is in trouble. Why should I leave a country which I have been defending for 25 years as world champion?"
I didn't follow Kasparov's statements closely in the past 25 years, so I can't recall what exactly was his way of defending Russia in the past.
The New Chronology strikes again!
Kasparov 25 years world champion? Probably a typo from Reuters.
Haha, nice one, greg koster!
Testing the comment system again...
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