The Poetry of Chess

Chess resembles writing, painting and music in being an obsessional mental activity preoccupied with exploring tension and complication to resolve them to triumphant harmony. Andrew Waterman's anthology brings together a strong team of poets from Chaucer to the present day for whom chess has been emblematic of the larger issues beyond the enclosed realm of the chessboard. His introduction considers the creative nature of chess and its strong appeal to writers and artists. Andrew Waterman is a distinguished poet and critic and a passionate chess amateur.