How Chess Imitates Life: Making the Right Moves, From the Board to the Boardroom

Garry Kasparov

© 2007, 2008, Garry Kasparov 

Glued as I was to the 2016 World Chess Championship (I overheard a family member mumble the word “fanatic” on Thanksgiving), I was struck by the number of commentators whose fame derives from avenues far from chess. An actor, a physicist, the publisher of New York magazine. This was understandable, as the highly focused players often took twenty minutes or more on a move. But what could Woody Harrelson bring to the table? Judit Polgar surely didn’t need his analytical assistance.