A review by alinasknar
Chess Story by Stefan Zweig

5.0

When a short story leaves you wanting for the plot to be expanded into a full-scale novel this is a true sign of high-quality literature. Throughout the novella, I could not fully fathom what I felt towards the main character, a renowned, yet ignorant and arrogant chess grandmeister, but as it turned out soon, his character fades into the background after the author reveals the heartbreaking account of the Nazi psychological torture experienced by his opponent in an amateur match. The novella leaves us conflicted and mesmerized, which may be a questionable reading goal for some readers, but a perfect one for others.
Luckily, Zweig has blessed us with plenty of novels and novellas to explore and savor the different flavours generated by the genius of his writing .