Zugzwang By Ronan Bennett

Zugzwang —A chess term used to describe a position in which a player is reduced to utter helplessless: he is obliged to move, but every move serves to make his position even worse.

A thriller set in St. Petersburg in 1914 amid an international chess tournament and a series of mysterious murders. Zugzwang unfolds in a city on the verge of revolution. On a blustery April day, a respected St. Petersburg newspaper editor is murdered in front of a shocked crowd. Five days later, Dr. Otto Spethmann, the celebrated psychoanalyst, receives a visit from the police. There has been another murder in the city—and somehow he is implicated. The doctor is mystified and deeply worried, as much for his young, spirited daughter as for himself.

Meanwhile, he finds himself preoccupied by two new patients: Anna Petrovna, a society beauty plagued with nightmares with whom he is inappropriately falling in love, and the troubled genius Rozental, a brilliant but fragile chess master on the verge of a complete breakdown. As Dr. Spethmann is drawn deeper into the murderous intrigue, he finds that he, his patients, and his daughter may all be pawns in a game larger in scope than anything he could have imagined.

Punctuated with board-by-board illustrations of a chess match that plays out through the book, Zugzwang is a masterfully written novel packed with cliffhangers, romance, unforgettable characters, and a plot that keeps readers guessing to the very end. Zugzwang

I was put off by the title because I kept having to remind myself what it means. However, once it stuck in my head that it's a situation found in chess wherein one player is put at a disadvantage because he HAS to make a move; in other words, the fact that the player is compelled to move means that his position will become significantly weaker. A player is said to be in zugzwang when any possible move will worsen his position. I didn't even look at the first lot of boards, but right near the end when the board only contains pawns, 2 kings and 2 queens, does it start becoming clear what is happening. And the story echoes the situation in the chess game, beautifully, actually. This is a difficult book but interesting. I liked the importance of daughters! Hardcover Politics. Chess. History. Not even my thing. And somehow I knew I'd love this love the moment my eyes landed on this.
What a page turner. Kept me curious until the very last page (for real). An amalgamation of all the interesting things this kid likes to read about; mystery, psychology, murder, thrill and much more. Hardcover Zugzwang is a term used in chess to describe a position in which a player is reduced to a state of utter helplessness. He is obliged to move, but every makes his position worse.

This book is set in 1914 pre-revolution St. Petersburg where Dr. Otto Spethmann is a prominent psychoanalyst and widower living a comfortable life with his daughter, Catherine. Otto is apolitical but when a newspaper editor is murdered in broad daylight and an apparent car accident turns out to be a murder he is drawn into a world of political manoeuvring and intrigue when his business card is found on one of the victims.

The novel's action takes place over a few days' time, during which Spethmann meets a bewildering array of characters ranging from police officers and undercover agents of the Interior ministry to Bolshevik party activists and oligarchs with their own ulterior motives.

Meanwhile Otto's personal life is undergoing a major upheaval life due to two of his patients. One Anna Petrovna, a married woman with whom he is falling in love with and developing an unprofessional relationship. The other, Avrom Rozental, a Jewish chess master, visiting the city from Poland for a major chess tournament. Rozental is on the verge of a mental breakdown and fixated on his up-coming matches but for some reason the police seem to be unduly interested in his movements.

Zugzwang is a thriller that centres on the choices that Otto must make as he and his daughter are buffeted by forces that are far out of their control. All the choices they make seem to put them more and more at personal risk.

Running throughout the book is a long-running chess game played between Otto and a friend. Otto contemplates the moves and counter moves that his opponents will play. As events in the novel heat up, so does the chess game. This is a side dish that will no doubt thrill chess enthusiasts but should not be enough to put off non-players from enjoying this novel. I found it well written and fast paced with plenty of twists and turns (a few too many for my taste) but if I'm honest it didn't have enough about it to really stand out from the crowd.

Hardcover zug-zwang: –noun Chess. a situation in which a player is limited to moves that cost pieces or have a damaging positional effect.



I will readily admit that after reading Nabokov's The Defense(or the newer title, The Luzhin Defense), I am fascinated by chess novels, which almost categorically leads to a Russian novel. With my predilection for Russian writers as well as the automatic intellectual bent of a novel using the game of chess as an allegory or metaphor, it was difficult for me for me to be subjective when the jacket cover tells me that I am going to read a novel brimming with chess, Russia and 'whoops! I'm a psychoanalyst who is suddenly involved in a murder.' In the case of Zugzwang by Irish novelist Ronan Bennett, we are given almost that--a novel set in St. Petersburg on the eve of World War I that follows the events in Dr. Otto Spethamnn's life, days after he begins treating a rising star in the chess scene, Avrom Chilowicz Rozenthal. Dr. Spethmann comes to treat Rozenthal through an introduction by his long-time friend and famous classical violinist, Kopelzon. Already, this couldn't get more Russian unless, of course, Spethmann treated his patients in a bread line while drinking vodka.

Dr. Spethmann, our laconic psychoanalyst, is middle-aged man who lives with his college-age daughter after the loss of his wife a couple of years prior. He is a good yet common man as he describes himself here:

With my patients I am the good father -- attentive, kind, calm, fair, strict, unreproachful and present. It would dismay them to discover that the man to who, the impute almost preternatural wisdom and serenity is, in reality, no more immune than they to anxiety or excitement, or other more turbulent and dangerous emotions. But this is the truth of me.

Here is a man who spends most of his time treating his patients, pondering over his chess matches with Kopelzon (whom he has never beaten) and furtively eyeing Anna Petrovna, who just happens to be gorgeous, rich, married and his patient. And those are just some of the major characters. This novel is filled with characters who the reader meets over an extended period of time of for short stints but with no less effect.

One of the components of a good thriller is that it is not evident at the onset of the novel who is the good and who is bad--the gradations of good and evil unfold in each character throughout the novel so that it focuses on the motivation of the character as opposed to merely being an obstacle for the protagonist. Bennett does this well and he does well while he unravels a labyrinthine, complex plot that uses the political fibers of the time effectively. The two political fibers being Bolshevism and the Okhrana. Bennett uses history well to set the tone and as well the proper amounts and types of description. We get the chilling cold of the Soviet Union, the immensity of the architecture of the city, the paranoia present in an politically oppressed society. Throughout the novel, we learn that most of the people he knows are somehow involved in the war between the revolutionaries ad the repressive government, either wittingly or unwittingly. From the beginning for instance, we know that Petrov a patient of Spethmann's is going to factor somehow into to the story, but we don't know how and he plays it well because we meet him in the context of a psychoanalyst's office who is neither for or against him:

Petrov was a member of the Bolshevik faction of the Social Democrats. The party was notorious, bare legal in Russia and subject to police surveillance and repression. In the absence of Lenin, its exiled leader, Petrov was its de facto chief. The strains involved in this alone would account for his mental and physical exhaustion, but in Petrov's case there was something else. Something tormented his soul. He wanted to tell me, to tell someone, and yet he could not. As with Anna, as with all my resistant patients, I had fallen back on the principal ally of psychoanalysts everywhere -- time; I was never in a hurry.

This psychological element strengthened by the first-person narrative deepens the characters and their motivations without sacrificing any of the plot. Actually, even though we may think we know the characters better, it is still difficult to guess who is going to fall on the good or bad side of morality. Bennett introduces the relationship between Spethmann and Lychev, local police chief, immediately and shockingly by demanding to see him and his daughter for their possible connection to the murder of a man named Yastrebov who was in the possession of Spethmann's carte de visite when he died.

Bennett uses so well the tactical element of chess in plotting that he must be a chess player himself and a good one at that. More fascinating though is his own history that itself reads like a international thriller. Accused of murdering a police inspector during a bank robbery claimed by the IRA, he spent time in jail before his conviction being overturned. He moved to London where he was accused of conspiring to cause explosions and spent more time in prison. He defended himself and was acquitted.

While reading his work, it did occur to me that the political and religious parallels between Ireland and the Soviet Union made his story that much more plausible. Also, it adds a healthy dose of reality to the imprisoned musings of Spethmann since Bennett had himself endured imprisonment. Later obtaining his degree in history, the plotting is taut and well-researched. No wonder The Guardian excerpted weekly each chapter form this book(it also doesn't hurt that his wife is assistant editor).

I admit it, I got involved in finding out as much as I could about Ronan Bennett because he is so fascinating and because of the comparisons to Graham Greene which are well warranted. Fans of Graham Greene will appreciate Bennett's locales in his other novels as well as his direct narrative style. I recommend reading any of his novels , but also reading about the author himself. Two great interviews worth checking out are a 1999 interview with Salon magazine and a 2007 interview(with audio) from Morning Edition on NPR. Hardcover It feels mean to describe a book as competently diverting but I think that's all this one was really aspiring to. Hardcover

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I might have enjoyed this more if I had an inkling of Russian politics. The situation isn't adequately described. The main protagonists aren't identified other than by name. It was almost impossible to figure out who was who and why things were happening. And throw in the whole chess thing (chess is beyond my scope of understanding so the boards and moves described in the book were pointless to me) and I was totally clueless.

The events didn't happen in sequence which is very confusing. For instance at one point, two rough men with guns enter Otto's office after hours. And the next sentence starts Two weeks ago and contains totally different characters. It took a little getting used to. Not a bad book but hard to understand. Though it did have a few surprises and some great betrayals. Hardcover Tatal meu m-a invatat sa joc sah cand eram mica. Nu l-am invins niciodata insa nici nu regret pentru ca una dintre cele mai frumoase amintiri din copilarie este zambetul sau victorios. Am observat ca in ziua de azi se practica un altfel de sah, in care se sacrifica multe piese, diferit de stilul invatat de mine unde eram indrumata sa ma lupt pentru pastrarea fiecareia dintre ele cat mai mult.
Titlul original al romanului este Zugzwang si face referire la situatia din sah in care un jucator este pus intr-o pozitie de vulnerabilitate totala. El este obligat sa mute, insa orice mutare ii slabeste si mai mult pozitia.
In ceea ce priveste actiunea, ne aflam in 1914 in Sankt Petersburg, unde editorul unui ziar liberal, O. V. Gulko este ucis in plina strada. In ciuda numerosilor martori criminalul reuseste sa fuga. Pe de alta parte, la Sankt Petersburg urmeaza sa aiba loc senzationalul turneu de sah care-l are ca favorit pe Avrom Rozental.
Romanul este scris la persoana intai, naratiunea facandu-se din perspectiva renumitului psihanalist Otto Spethmann, care are ocazia sa-l trateze pe celebrul sahist. Politia insa gaseste intre timp un suspect pentru uciderea lui Gurko: chiar psihanalistul.
Inspectorul Licev este la fel de pasionat de sah ca si medicul si intre ei doi va incepe o partida palpitanta, un joc al mintii extrem de incitant. Si cum asemenea jocuri trebuie sa aiba mereu si o prezenta feminina seducatoare, o avem aici pe frumoasa Anna Petrovna care muta si ea cu inteligenta.
Otto va fi arestat si in timpul arestului va afla ca fiica lui, Catherine are legaturi cu cea de-a doua victima a ucigasului.
Desi aceasta partida se joaca intre Licev si Spethmann, meciul care va conta cu adevarat si care va duce la rezolvarea cazului va fi cel intre Spethmann si bunul sau prieten Kopelzon.
De-a lungul intregului roman avem inserate desene cu tabla de sah si mutarile facute de cei doi, astfel ca cititorul poate sa urmareasca si sa reconstruiasca intreaga partida. Am refacut si eu traseul mutarilor celor doi, finalul ducandu-ne cu gandul la titlul cartii, totul bazandu-se pe un pion in plus la sfarsit.
Am retinut un citat frumos despre Sankt Petersburg, un loc pe care sper sa-l vizitez si eu candva (nu chiar in aceasta perioada totusi!):
Sankt Petersburg este magnific si monumental. Dar e si oribil de meschin, iar acolo unde magnificenta si meschinaria coexista va fi intotdeauna loc si pentru invidie, furie, cruzime, paranoia si violenta.
In concluzie va recomand acest roman, se citeste usor, rapid, este captivant, cu personaje reusite cu care cititorul poate usor empatiza. Atasez si cateva citate interesante:
Poate ca Raiul exista dar, chiar daca e asa, pe pamantul acesta tot nu traim decat o viata. Sa-ti fie rapita, sa-ti fie retezata, schingiuita si scurtata de gardieni si politisti e un lucru groaznic. Dar e oare mai putin groaznica decat o viata netraita din cauza lasitatii cuiva?
In sah e usor sa te tulbure o pozitie complicata si atitudinea agresiva a adversarului. E nevoie intotdeauna de un ochi rece si un cap limpede. Calculeaza. Calculeaza variante concrete.
Vinovatia nu dispare niciodata insa putem sa evitam repetarea faptei care a dat nastere rusinii.
Traim in lanturi - lanturi ale datoriei, ale nevoii, ale responsabilitatii, ale viselor. Noi toti. Alegerea e doar o himera.

P.S. Ca sa ne amuzam, va invit sa urmariti si finalul unei scurte partide de sah pe care George Costanza din serialul Seinfeld o joaca :) Hardcover A fun thriller, even for those (like me) with no knowledge of Russian history. The story concerns a psychotherapist in Tsarist Russia who becomes embroiled in plots of chess, conspiracy, murder, and, of course, steamy historical sex. It's not quite a page-turner, but it's very well-written, and I learned a teensy bit about Russian history (I didn't know Russia had such an extensive secret police system prior to Communism).

Also, some fun words!

zugzwang (n.) - a position in chess where every move can only worsen the situation.

priapism (n.) - a continuous, non-sexual erection; lascivious behavior or display.

cyanotic (adj.) - blue skin coloration due to inadequate oxygenation of the blood. Hardcover Bennett draws a parallel between a chess game played by the protagonist and his best friend, on the one hand, and the situation that this friend is in, in St Petersburg in 1914, on the other hand. In Zugzwang he is. Hence, impossible for this friend to make a move that could improve his live. Intriguing and bright, to draw such a parallel. Hardcover Zugzwang è una parola tedesca composta che significa, in linguaggio scacchistico, mossa obbligata. Si utilizza durante una partita di scacchi per indicare quella situazione nella quale il giocatore che deve muovere può effettuare solamente mosse che peggiorano la sua situazione.
“Zugzwang mossa obbligata” è un romanzo giallo storico ambientato a San Pietroburgo nei mesi che precedono la prima guerra mondiale e la rivoluzione russa.

Sono molti i temi presenti: la Russia, sull’orlo di una rivoluzione, lo spettro del comunismo, l’antisemitismo, lo zar che sembra incapace di mantenere l’ordine delle cose. E c’è la psicanalisi, agli albori in quegli anni, del protagonista che si mescola con l’analisi e con la strategia del gioco degli scacchi.

Il protagonista si trova a giocare due partite in parallelo, una sulla sua scacchiera e l’altra contro avversari che complottano contro lo zar, mentre sullo sfondo c’è il lavoro di preparazione di un grande torneo internazionale di scacchi. Le due partite procedono di pari passo per concludersi entrambe alla fine del libro, ovviamente entrambe con una situazione di zugzwang…

Il libro parte molto bene, è avvincente e interessante. C’è la strategia degli scacchi, c’è la psicanalisi, ci sono indagini, c’è un complotto. Poi pian piano si perde, a partire da una scena erotica che, oltre che a non centrare nulla con la storia, sembra scritta con un'altra mano e usa un linguaggio tanto inappropriato da scadere nel ridicolo (quanto è difficile scrivere di sesso…).

Udivo il gioioso schioccare dell'inguine e delle cosce contro le natiche
Più dita.... Quante dita adesso?

Una cosa interessante del romanzo è che i partecipanti del torneo di Pietroburgo sono tutti personaggi realmente vissuti (Lasker, Capablanca, Tarrasch, Marshall), mentre l’autore per rappresentare Rozental, lo scacchista ebreo polacco afflitto da disturbi mentali, si è ispirato ad un campione realmente esistito, Rubinstein, che soffriva di schizofrenia. E per gli scacchisti è interessantissima la partita descritta mossa dopo mossa per giungere allo zugzwang.

Un libro non indispensabile, ma con qualche spunto interessante e che si legge facilmente. Anche se ho gradito e compreso alcuni riferimenti alla storia russa soprattutto perché già visti in letture fatte recentemente.
Interessante il concetto di zugzwang, Essere costretti a fare qualcosa che non vorremmo fare. Non è una condizione assolutamente normale e quotidiana?

Noi giriamo incatenati - ai debiti, ai bisogni, alle responsabilità, ai sogni. Tutti noi. La scelta è solo una chimera. Hardcover