Grandmaster Susan Polgar, Black Queen, & me
KATHERINE NEVILLE’S
Queen’s Gambit Newsletter
November 30, 2020
The Black Queen
Here I am, with Chess Grandmaster and World Champion, Susan Polgar, at our book launch party for The Fire, (sequel to The Eight) held in Washington, DC! Grandmaster Polgar was one of our co-hosts for that event; she also found for us the great Black Queen that appears with us here. And Susan’s husband Paul Truong took many of the wonderful photos of that evening, which appear on my web site, in my Author section.
The Black Queen’s Gambit
Hundreds of you–my friends and fellow readers, from every age and every walk of life–have been writing to me, asking if I’ve seen the new television miniseries, The Queen’s Gambit, which is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis (author of The Hustler, The Color of Money.) I read the book long ago, as well as every piece of fiction ever written about chess, since I was about to write my book–The Eight–where the entire plot, a swashbuckling adventure story, is based on a major chess game taking place over a period of two hundred years, all around the world.
Entrance to “The Fire” Book Launch Party
By contrast, Walter Tevis’ book is the story of a troubled young woman, obsessed with chess, who overcomes all obstacles and goes on to become World Champion. Not only have I watched the series, but seeing it converted to screen was a real inspiration to me. In short, the screenwriters, actors, and director really did a great job, and they have even improved upon Walter Tevis’s original book! The screenplay sparkles with adventure, suspense, and action that’s hard to convey in such a cerebral story.
It is also of genuine interest to me, that not only the original author, Walter Tevis, but nearly all of the film’s developers–producers, director, and screenwriters–are men. This goes to show that really intelligent men can see inside a woman’s mind–at least in fiction!
This story also shows that a strong, intelligent woman can benefit by the gallantry and support of the men around her–even when competing against them! Chess, like the Kama Sutra, originated in India as a cosmic dance. From medieval times–in literature like Roman de La Rose, to Shakespeare’s The Tempest–women played chess with men as a romantic courting ritual.
It’s an Alchemy that we need to bring back, today!
Susan Polgar
The Real Queen’s Gambit
I’ve copied onto my website some Interesting Articles: an Interview with World Chess Champion Susan Polgar in Forward Magazine and a recent Washington Post article: Five Myths About Chess.
My books have recently been featured in an article by Early Bird Books!
Please visit me on my website www.KatherineNeville.com
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