Life at Play: A Chess Memoir

This Life at Play: A Chess Memoir is an English-language hardcover book in which Lubomir Kavalek reflects on his life, his chess career and the people who shaped twentieth-century chess. It brings together memoir, chess history and annotated games in one volume.

About the book

Lubomir Kavalek (1943–2021) was an American-Czech grandmaster, a three-time US champion and one of the most respected chess writers of recent decades. His work appeared in outlets including the Washington Post and Huffington Post, reaching a wide readership beyond the chess world. In these memoirs, he looks back on the defining moments of his career and the figures who made modern chess history.

Kavalek knew or met many of the great masters of the last century. He helped Bobby Fischer during the legendary 1972 World Championship match, later served as a second for Nigel Short and Jan Timman, and also acted as tournament director for the prestigious World Cup organised by the Grandmasters Association. Above all, he was a world-class player in his own right, with many tournament victories and numerous awards for brilliant games.

Chess, history and personal experience

He reached grandmaster level quickly and played with an aggressive, attacking style. Back in Czechoslovakia, he won the national championship twice. The book also places his story in its historical context: after the Soviet invasion of 1968, which ended the Prague Spring, Kavalek left his homeland and eventually settled in the United States with his wife, Irena.

This combination of major historical events, personal choices and everyday chess life makes Life at Play: A Chess Memoir a strong choice not only for active players, but also for readers looking for a sporting biography and a story of life in exile.

What’s inside

Near the end of his life, Lubosh Kavalek began writing down his memories. With humour, sharp insight and clear passion, he described a life full of turning points and a rich chess career. By the time he died in 2021, the book was almost complete, and its final form was shaped together with the Czech-American writer Jan Novak.

The volume also includes more than 50 of Kavalek’s best games, many with his own annotations. That gives the book value not only as a memoir, but also as a practical resource for readers who want to understand a grandmaster’s thinking and see his style in concrete examples.

Edition details

• Language: English
• Binding: hardcover
• Page count: 352
• Author: Lubomir Kavalek
• Co-author: Jan Novak
• Content: autobiography and chess memoir
• Chess content: more than 50 annotated games