Today it's my turn on the BlogTour The Greenbecker Gambit by Ben Graff.
Ben Graff is a writer, journalist and Corporate Affairs professional. He is a regular contributor to Chess and Authors Publish. He is not a grandmaster but did draw with one once.
‘I only feel truly alive when the chess clock is ticking and the patterns on the squares in front of me are dancing in my head. Very little else gives me the same feeling. Nothing else, that does not involve a flame.’
Tennessee Greenbecker is bravely optimistic as he sets out to claim what he sees as rightfully his – the title of world chess champion. But who is he really? Is he destined to be remembered as chess champion or fire-starter? Either way, might this finally be his moment?
Given the very public meltdown of a very rich celebrity at the moment and the way people are divided about the interpretation of his words and actions - I find this an interesting parallel. Is it the ramblings of a man suffering from mental health issues or is it just a man and his particular view of the world and the place he holds in it. A view that is considered bizarre and unacceptable because it doesn't align with the norm.
Are our own views not guided and driven by society, those who raise us and govern us. What happens to rebels, misfits and rejects? Are they not wrapped up and labeled with a sign saying crazy for all to see and sneer at?
With that in mind Tennessee deserves a more detailed assessment and not just a brush off, which his brother does in such a monumentally worldly way. You don't live your life the way I expect, ergo end result disappointment and judgement.
What or who is Tennessee Greenbecker? The unacknowledged chess champion or a pyromaniac, perhaps a combination of both - the chess player with a penchant for starting fires.
I like the way Graff thinks and writes. For me this is a venture into literary fiction, but without the pomposity of the attempt to be said genre. The narration by Tennessee is nothing short of highly entertaining - I choose not to see it as internal dialogue of a deluded man, but rather the words of a man consumed by his own world. Not the lonely, often dangerous and erratic man. The genius, the expert, the misunderstood - may his name be remembered throughout history.
Buy The Greenbecker Gambit at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: The Conrad Press; pub date 16 April 2020. Buy at Chess and Bridge Buy at Amazon com.
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