Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com
Two brothers. One championship.
Both Zeke and Randy Mansfield have made it to the Northeast Regional Pennsylvania High School Chess Championship. Zeke, the overly confident senior who succeeds in soccer, baseball, and tennis, was the top chess player in their school before Randy entered as a freshman. He's the one their father calls "Ace," and their father's obsessive coaching has turned Zeke's bravado into a weapon that he intends to wield during the tournament.
For Randy, the slightly overweight freshman who makes up words for fun, chess is something that comes naturally, and he doesn't let the fact that he's beaten his older brother nine times out of ten effect his expectations for the tournament.
As the championship progresses, and more talented players are eliminated, it becomes clear that the Mansfield brothers will be facing off against each other in the semifinals. With their father on the sidelines, more excited and competitive than both of them about this match, each brother begins to realize that perhaps their strategies toward chess - and life - aren't so different and incompatible after all.
No matter who wins, this tournament is bound to bring them closer, and offer an understanding that each of them had never thought possible.
I honestly never thought that I'd find a story about a chess match so exciting and compelling. Although one does not need to be a skilled chess player to enjoy this quick, endearing read, it would help the reader to have a basic knowledge of the pieces and workings of the game to increase their enjoyment of this tale.
Two brothers. One championship.
Both Zeke and Randy Mansfield have made it to the Northeast Regional Pennsylvania High School Chess Championship. Zeke, the overly confident senior who succeeds in soccer, baseball, and tennis, was the top chess player in their school before Randy entered as a freshman. He's the one their father calls "Ace," and their father's obsessive coaching has turned Zeke's bravado into a weapon that he intends to wield during the tournament.
For Randy, the slightly overweight freshman who makes up words for fun, chess is something that comes naturally, and he doesn't let the fact that he's beaten his older brother nine times out of ten effect his expectations for the tournament.
As the championship progresses, and more talented players are eliminated, it becomes clear that the Mansfield brothers will be facing off against each other in the semifinals. With their father on the sidelines, more excited and competitive than both of them about this match, each brother begins to realize that perhaps their strategies toward chess - and life - aren't so different and incompatible after all.
No matter who wins, this tournament is bound to bring them closer, and offer an understanding that each of them had never thought possible.
I honestly never thought that I'd find a story about a chess match so exciting and compelling. Although one does not need to be a skilled chess player to enjoy this quick, endearing read, it would help the reader to have a basic knowledge of the pieces and workings of the game to increase their enjoyment of this tale.
