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Title: A humble account
Review: Most (auto)biographical chess works end up either adulating the person blindly (CHess is my life by Karpov/Roshal)or are dry,boring factual accounts (Acheiving the Aim by Botvinnik).As an intelligent and inquisitive reader what i like to read is a personal story. The good events and the bad ones. The human element of a great chess player. Something akin to Mikhail Tal's My Life and Games.While its questionable that Jaan Ehlvest is a chess great, his book is a fascinating read. The narrative includes his various triumphs and some games but what is really engaging are personal anecdotes and the author's view on political climate, soviet chess schools etc.It was a revelation for example, about what really happens in those famed soviet youth camps. Or what Botvinnik really did.I recommend the book heartily to any chess player who has an interest in the making of a top GM.
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