Chess by Stefan Zweig

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The more a man restricts himself the closer he is, conversely, to infinity

Chess is a disturbing, intensely dramatic depiction of the cost of obsession.

It begins as a cruise ship sets sail for Buenos Aires. On board, a group of passengers challenge the world chess champion to a match. At first, they crumble, until they are helped by whispered advice from a stranger in the crowd – a man who will risk everything to win.

Stefan Zweig was born in Vienna to an Austrian-Jewish family and achieved literary fame early with his biographies and novels, most notably Beware of Pity. In 1934 Zweig fled to England, then Brazil, where he wrote this acclaimed novella, shortly before he and his wife killed themselves.

Translated by Anthea Bell