好评：
Mark Jacobs, George Mason University
"Fine demonstrates above all that chess is not an individualized activity, but rather a communal one. The logic of chess is not impersonal, but embodied and social. It is not merely a game, but an important part of the way that many people make their lives together. It is a significant and masterful achievement."
 
James M. Jasper, author of The Art of Moral Protest
"Whether you are a casual player or a grandmaster you will find something of interest in this book, which takes a bemused look at the extensive activity that goes into making chess communities. Even if you have never played chess, you will still learn a lot about social life from this book, the best yet by this prolific author."
 
西洋棋赛看似是一个非常孤独的比赛：就是两位选手安静地靠着他们自己的思考能力来挑战彼此。但是，作者Gary Alan Fine认为西洋棋是一种社交的二重唱：两位选手进行着沉默的对话，总是考虑对方的下一步。而西洋棋赛这个游戏拥有自己的一个独特社区，这社区里面的竞争以及精彩程度不输给棋本身！
 
作者花了许多年侵入业余以及专业西洋棋选手的世界，在这本书中带着读者进入这个充满天才、有个性、竞争又活力的社区。书的开头是在美国大西洋城的一场西洋棋锦标赛。从计划到布置到最后一天的高潮（总决赛），他一路上介绍许多知名选手以及他们跟西洋棋的个人故事给读者熟悉。在这种锦标赛中，不论是当地的小比赛或者国际的打比赛，这些选手都感觉自己属于一个社区，这个社区欢迎任何爱好西洋棋的人。
 
这本书充满的独特的角色以及刺激的比赛，是一本庆祝西洋棋这个传统又经典的游戏。
 
关于作者：
Gary Alan Fine是美国西北大学社会学的教授。他写过许多本书，包括Difficult Reputations: Collective Memories of the Evil、Inept, and Controversial、With the Boys: Little League Baseball and Preadolescent Culture以及 Shared Fantasy: Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds。