THE QUEENS GAMBIT

It is a book I reread every few years - for the pure pleasure and skill of it Michael Ondaatje Dont pick this up if you want a nights sleep Scotsman When she is sent to an orphanage at the age of eight, Beth Harmon soon discovers two ways to escape her surroundings, albeit fleetingly: playing chess and taking the little green pills given to her and the other children to keep them subdued. Before long, it becomes apparent that hers is a prodigious talent, and as she progresses to the top of the US chess rankings she is able to forge a new life for herself.But she can never quite overcome her urge to self-destruct. For Beth, theres more at stake than merely winning and losing. I loved it. I just loved it, it really drew me in and I know nothing about chess... The writing about addiction is just fantastic. I underlined so many bits of it... I didnt want it to end Bryony Gordon on BBC Radio 4Few novelists have written about genius - and addiction - as acutely as Walter Tevis Telegraph