Want to know what books Dominic Lawson recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Dominic Lawson's favorite book recommendations of all time.
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Vladimir Nabokov's early novel is the dazzling story of the coarse, strange yet oddly endearing chess-playing genius Luzhin. Discovering his prodigious gift in boyhood and rising to the rank of International Grandmaster, Luzhin develops a lyrical passion for chess that renders the real world a phantom. As he confronts the fiery, swift-swooping Italian Grandmaster Turati, he brings into play his carefully devised defence. Making masterly play of metaphor and imagery, The Luzhin Defense is the book that, of his early works, Nabokov felt 'contains and diffuses the greatest warmth'. more Vladimir Nabokov's early novel is the dazzling story of the coarse, strange yet oddly endearing chess-playing genius Luzhin. Discovering his prodigious gift in boyhood and rising to the rank of International Grandmaster, Luzhin develops a lyrical passion for chess that renders the real world a phantom. As he confronts the fiery, swift-swooping Italian Grandmaster Turati, he brings into play his carefully devised defence. Making masterly play of metaphor and imagery, The Luzhin Defense is the book that, of his early works, Nabokov felt 'contains and diffuses the greatest warmth'. less See more recommendations for this book...
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As a respected trainer who became a world-class chess grandmaster after leaving Leningrad and moving to Holland in 1972, Genna Sosonko observes the golden age Soviet chess from a privileged dual perspective. Combining an insider's nostalgia with the detachment of a critical observer, he has produced unforgettable portraits of the heroes of this bygone era: Tal, Botvinnik, Geller, Polugaevsky, and the legendary trainer Zak are some of his subjects. This New Editon has two brand new stories. Delightful The Washington Post." more As a respected trainer who became a world-class chess grandmaster after leaving Leningrad and moving to Holland in 1972, Genna Sosonko observes the golden age Soviet chess from a privileged dual perspective. Combining an insider's nostalgia with the detachment of a critical observer, he has produced unforgettable portraits of the heroes of this bygone era: Tal, Botvinnik, Geller, Polugaevsky, and the legendary trainer Zak are some of his subjects. This New Editon has two brand new stories. Delightful The Washington Post." less 
Dominic LawsonYes, there are two, Russian Silhouettes and The Reliable Past. They are basically a series. Sosonko was a Russian grandmaster and he emigrated, in 1972, to Holland. As someone who has left it behind, he gives extraordinarily deep, poignant, moving and personal accounts of the great chess players that he knew, people like Bronstein, Tal, Korchnoi, who really were part of a historical era. (Source)
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Dominic LawsonBronstein was very nearly world champion. In 1951 he played a match that was drawn, and because he was the challenger, the titleholder Botvinnik kept the title. It was very controversial because Bronstein was one game ahead with two to play, and lost the penultimate game in rather strange circumstances. This was during the Stalinist period, and it was said that because he was distantly related to... (Source)
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Richard Reti, Sam Sloan, Horace Ransom Bigelow | 4.64
Widely regarded as the best chess book ever written, "Masters of the Chessboard," discusses the playing styles of each of the leading grandmasters of history up until that time. Richard Reti was one of the strongest and certainly was the most original player of all time. He defeated at least once almost every leading player of his era. He defeated Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe, Rubinstein, Bogoljubov and Tartakower in tournament games. He invented new and successful opening systems and brilliant endgame studies. He was also a gifted and entertaining writer. In this book, Reti examines the... more Widely regarded as the best chess book ever written, "Masters of the Chessboard," discusses the playing styles of each of the leading grandmasters of history up until that time. Richard Reti was one of the strongest and certainly was the most original player of all time. He defeated at least once almost every leading player of his era. He defeated Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe, Rubinstein, Bogoljubov and Tartakower in tournament games. He invented new and successful opening systems and brilliant endgame studies. He was also a gifted and entertaining writer. In this book, Reti examines the technique of each of the great masters of his era and explains what enabled them to reach the top levels of competitive chess. This 2008 edition includes a new introduction explaining Reti's contributions to modern chess theory. less Dominic LawsonRéti was a very strong player, who died at the age of 40, unfortunately. He once played 29 games simultaneously, blindfolded. He was a tremendous talent. His particular claim to fame is that he was a great theoretician, and invented his own opening, which still bears his name – the Réti opening. He was one of the leaders of a revolutionary philosophical movement in chess, called the hypermodern... (Source)
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