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Dark Squares (How Chess Saved My Life)
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$30.00
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Product Details
Author:
Danny Rensch
Format:
Hardcover
Pages:
368
Publisher:
PublicAffairs (September 16, 2025)
Imprint:
PublicAffairs
Language:
English
Audience:
General/trade
ISBN-13:
9781541703285
ISBN-10:
1541703286
Weight:
21.44oz
Dimensions:
6.4" x 9.55" x 1.1875"
File:
hbgusa-hbgusa_onix30_P9697050_02092026-20260209.xml
Folder:
hbgusa
List Price:
$30.00
Country of Origin:
United States
Pub Discount:
65
Case Pack:
20
As low as:
$23.10
Publisher Identifier:
P-HACH
Discount Code:
A
Overview
In this “heart-breaking, hilarious, ultimately transcendent” (Jeannette Walls) memoir, International Master and Chess.com co-founder Danny Rensch describes his upbringing in an abusive cult – and how chess ended up saving his life
Born into the Church of Immortal Consciousness, Danny Rensch spent his childhood navigating the isolated confines of a cult. Despite psychological manipulation, physical abuse, and neglect, he persevered. An international chess master and world-class commentator, Rensch’s remarkable journey led him to being the face of Chess.com, one of the largest online gaming platforms in the world.
With unflinching honesty, Rensch recounts his life, starting from the moment he discovered chess in the summer of 1995, all the way up to being at the center of the most explosive cheating scandal in chess history.
He chronicles the traumas of being “special” in a cult that forced separation from his mother. Mentored by an alcoholic, Russian chess master, he found solace alongside suffering in his obsession for an ancient game, and chess became his only escape. Rensch rose through the chess ranks until a medical emergency nearly took him out of the game forever. And it almost did, until Chess.com came along.
Deeply heartfelt, keenly reflective, and haunting, Dark Squares is the never-before-told story of Danny Rensch’s resilience, survival, and his enduring love for the game that saved him.
Born into the Church of Immortal Consciousness, Danny Rensch spent his childhood navigating the isolated confines of a cult. Despite psychological manipulation, physical abuse, and neglect, he persevered. An international chess master and world-class commentator, Rensch’s remarkable journey led him to being the face of Chess.com, one of the largest online gaming platforms in the world.
With unflinching honesty, Rensch recounts his life, starting from the moment he discovered chess in the summer of 1995, all the way up to being at the center of the most explosive cheating scandal in chess history.
He chronicles the traumas of being “special” in a cult that forced separation from his mother. Mentored by an alcoholic, Russian chess master, he found solace alongside suffering in his obsession for an ancient game, and chess became his only escape. Rensch rose through the chess ranks until a medical emergency nearly took him out of the game forever. And it almost did, until Chess.com came along.
Deeply heartfelt, keenly reflective, and haunting, Dark Squares is the never-before-told story of Danny Rensch’s resilience, survival, and his enduring love for the game that saved him.
