Counterplay

An Anthropologist at the Chessboard

Robert R. Desjarlais

$40.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

University of California Press
22 March 2011

Chess

"""Chess gets a hold of some people, like a virus or a drug,"" writes Robert Desjarlais in this absorbing book. Drawing on his lifelong fascination with the game, Desjarlais guides readers into the world of twenty-first-century chess to help us understand its unique pleasures and challenges, and to advance a new ""anthropology of passion."" Immersing us directly in chess's intricate culture, he interweaves small dramas, closely observed details, illuminating insights, colorful anecdotes, and unforgettable biographical sketches to elucidate the game and to reveal what goes on in the minds of experienced players when they face off over the board. Counterplay offers a compelling take on the intrigues of chess and shows how themes of play, beauty, competition, addiction, fanciful cognition, and intersubjective engagement shape the lives of those who take up this most captivating of games."

By: Robert R. Desjarlais
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 363g
ISBN: 9780520272606
ISBN 10: 0520272609
Pages: 266
Publication Date: 22 March 2011
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Robert Desjarlais is Professor of Anthropology at Sarah Lawrence College.

Reviews for Counterplay: An Anthropologist at the Chessboard

The subject of chess boasts more books than any other game, but this one is special, crafted for the general reader as well as the aficionado... Like the game itself, Counterplay is an enjoyable mental exercise. --Foreword Desjarlais draws from his backgrounds in ethnographic research and amateur tournament chess to nimbly explore the game's social, philosophical, aesthetic, psychological, and technological quirks. --Utne An informative and penetrating survey of the game today. --Publishers Weekly Desjarlais brings to Counterplay a social scientist's eye for broader themes and implications, a researcher's exhaustive annotation, and a chess junkie's passion and respect for the game. --Santa Fe New Mexican/ Pasatiempo