The Moves that Matter

'A nuanced and witty meditation on confronting the challenges life throws at us all' Oliver Burkeman
Jonathan Rowson's competitive success as a chess Grandmaster and work as an applied philosopher have given him a unique perspective on why the great game is more important than ever for understanding the conflicts and uncertainties of the modern world.
In sixty-four witty and addictive vignettes, Rowson takes us on an exhilarating tour of the game of life, from the psychology of gang violence, to the aesthetics of cyborgs, the beauty of technical details, and the endgame of death. Chess emerges as a singularly powerful metaphor for the thrills and set-backs that invest our daily lives with meaning and complexity.

Jonathan Rowson is a writer, philosopher and chess Grandmaster who was British Chess Champion from 2004-6. He holds degrees from Oxford, Bristol and Harvard Universities and is an Open Society Fellow. Formerly Director of the Social Brain Centre at the RSA, in 2016 he became co-founder of Perspectiva, where he leads research on the interplay of systems, souls and society.