10 books like “The Queen’s Gambit” that prove that chess is...

In 2012 the teenage chess player Phiona Mutesi was one of the first Ugandan players to be recognized as a candidate by the International Chess Federation. Her origins were modest, but Mutesi’s plans for her life were far from modest. Read her story in Tim Crothers’ Queen of Katwe.

After Irina found her late father’s letter to a small Russian celebrity among his belongings, she packs her bags and sets off for St. Petersburg. Faced with certain death from the degenerative disease that killed her father, she wants to force an answer on Aleksandr Bezetov: a chess master who has just challenged Vladimir Putin in what is certainly an unfortunate presidential campaign. As Irina and Aleksandr move closer together, the letter’s request – How do you deal with a lost cause? – becomes critical for both.

Set in 16th century Scotland, the first installment of Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles revolves around Francis Crawford: Scotland’s frustrating and gifted prodigal son who could potentially save his country from English invaders. Chess is branded into Dunnett’s novel, which contains both current battles and references to the game.

Ten years ago, Annika and Jonathan had a brief but passionate love affair after meeting at the University of Illinois chess club. They have gone their separate ways since college, but can they start over after they have established themselves in their adult lives?

From the author of chocolate comes Gentlemen and players, a quiet thriller in which chess is more of a metaphor than a real presence. After more than three decades of teaching at St. Oswald’s School for Boys, classics teacher Roy Straitley may be the only person in a position to save her. When fresh blood rushes into the faculty offices, Straitley discovers that a new employee has plans to dismantle the inside of St. Ozzie’s.

A young girl comes of age in the French author Shan Sa’s against the backdrop of Japanese-occupied Manchuria The girl who played is leaving. The ancient board game has just as much strategy as chess, and the Chinese protagonist of this novel needs to be as careful and cunning as possible when facing a Japanese soldier.

When you look up books on chess you will ask yourself – where are all the female chess players? American grandmaster Jennifer Shahade sheds light on the experiences and status of women in sport in Chess bitch.

Mahjong, like Go, is another East Asian strategy game and is at the heart of The Joy Luck Club. Amy Tan’s debut novel focuses on a group of Chinese migrant women and their American-born daughters, and focuses on how the two generations wrestle with their childlike relationships and cultural identities.

It did not exist for 500 years. For nearly 500 more, she was weaker than a farmer. Then Isabel of Castile came to the Spanish throne and nothing would be the same. Marilyn Yalom traces the story of the checkerboard queen and examines her connections to real female rulers in The birth of the chess queen.

The last novella by the Austrian author Stefan Zweig, Chess historyis a tender look at the game and its place as a metaphor for life. Zweig’s 1942 story, which winds its way through a group of ocean travelers looking to beat their fellow traveler, a chess master, in his own game, continues to resonate with readers today.