The Pawn - by Paco Cerdà (Paperback)

About the Book

"A tense examination of early Cold War anxieties, examined through the famous chess match between Spanish Arturito Pomar and American Bobby Fischer. The Pawn shuttles between the United States, Spain, the Soviet Union, and beyond, tracking the lives of Pomar and Fischer. Using the two chess masters's professional trajectories, Cerdáa expertly examines the geopolitical anxieties of the world in the 1960's. For fans of Netflix's The Queen's Gambit, The Pawn explores the contentious shadow layers between game and politic, match and war, a pawn and a political tool"--

Book Synopsis

In this gripping historical saga, award-winning Spanish writer Paco Cerdàagrave; explores simmering Cold War anxieties through the lens of a legendary chess match.

Stockholm, 1962. Spain's first chess grandmaster, Arturito Pomar, faces off against eighteen-year-old American prodigy Bobby Fischer in a match destined for legend, celebrated more for its symbolism than for its outcome. Shuttling across decades and between the United States, Spain, the Soviet Union, and beyond, The Pawn chronicles the contentious careers of the two chess masters, expertly examining the geopolitical anxieties of the 1960s that went on to shape not just the lives of these men, but the modern world.

Perfect for fans of The Storm We Made and The Queen's Gambit, The Pawn explores the intricate shadow layers between gameplay and warfare, strategy and sedition, pawn and puppet. In this incisive and timely rendering, Cerdà presents a devastatingly human portrait of "the many exceptional people whose lives were sacrificed on the altar of Cold War interests" (The New York Times).

About the Author

Paco Cerdà is a journalist and writer. He is the author of multiple award-winning books. The Pawn is the first book of his to be translated into English.

Kevin Gerry Dunn is a Spanish/English translator and a ghostwriter. His translations include The Tyranny of Flies by Elaine Vilar Madruga, Easy Reading by Cristina Morales, and works by Paul B. Preciado, María Bastarós, Daniela Tarazona, and Ousman Umar. He has received an English PEN Award, a PEN/Heim Grant, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.