Hi everyone, I have decided to start writing another chess book and publish it in parts here on Substack. Hopefully, I can get some constructive feedback in the process that will improve the final outcome. It will be based on one of my most popular posts so far has been:
When I was younger I also wanted to travel on the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok and then to return by Siberian Airlines (great name!), but I did not have money at that time.
"How does a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway resemble chess?
It's a long journey, where your initial expectations are challenged,
and sometimes even when you're making progress, the space around you feels remarkably the same.
The path isn't completed by many and by taking time to stop and think you can gain appreciation
for the art, for the challenge and for the camaraderie. "
----
The introduction might start with how you envisioned your chess journey at the start and how you envisioned your trip on the railroad at the start and the parallels on what the reality was like reflecting after both.
Here are a few questions that might spice up the narrative:
Why did you pack a chess set for your Journey? Challenge, boredom, random chance?
Had it been cards would you be a poker blogger now?
Beer and vodka are both mentioned, which beer and which vodka or has the haze of time made you forget :)?
You mention the long boring stretches but were there experiences of highs and lows on the trip? What were those?
Feel free to throw my suggestions out a 10-story window.
Thanks, Mike! I like your suggestion, and I will definitely use it for the fine tuning. In regards to the vodka I remember that we one day had a tasting. The worst one was one with blueberries on the cover. They were all incredibly cheap 😄
And I think we also packed some cards and backgammon. Also had an mp3-player with 20 tracks on it. Besides that I read Crime and Punishment during the train ride
Mar 2, 2023·edited Mar 2, 2023Liked by Martin B. Justesen
This is a great idea (I really considering to become paid subscriber, this is really good stuff...). I looking forward to the book. It would be great to see "What it would be different in the book if its title was 'From Beginner to 2000 FIDE Standard' " as the last chapter (by FIDE Standard, I mean OTB classical play). Thanks for writing. ;)
Nice idea! I would love to read this book!
When I was younger I also wanted to travel on the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok and then to return by Siberian Airlines (great name!), but I did not have money at that time.
Looking forward to reading it!
I rewrote part of the article :
----
"How does a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway resemble chess?
It's a long journey, where your initial expectations are challenged,
and sometimes even when you're making progress, the space around you feels remarkably the same.
The path isn't completed by many and by taking time to stop and think you can gain appreciation
for the art, for the challenge and for the camaraderie. "
----
The introduction might start with how you envisioned your chess journey at the start and how you envisioned your trip on the railroad at the start and the parallels on what the reality was like reflecting after both.
Here are a few questions that might spice up the narrative:
Why did you pack a chess set for your Journey? Challenge, boredom, random chance?
Had it been cards would you be a poker blogger now?
Beer and vodka are both mentioned, which beer and which vodka or has the haze of time made you forget :)?
You mention the long boring stretches but were there experiences of highs and lows on the trip? What were those?
Feel free to throw my suggestions out a 10-story window.
I'm looking forward to more!
Thanks, Mike! I like your suggestion, and I will definitely use it for the fine tuning. In regards to the vodka I remember that we one day had a tasting. The worst one was one with blueberries on the cover. They were all incredibly cheap 😄
And I think we also packed some cards and backgammon. Also had an mp3-player with 20 tracks on it. Besides that I read Crime and Punishment during the train ride
This is a great idea (I really considering to become paid subscriber, this is really good stuff...). I looking forward to the book. It would be great to see "What it would be different in the book if its title was 'From Beginner to 2000 FIDE Standard' " as the last chapter (by FIDE Standard, I mean OTB classical play). Thanks for writing. ;)
I would appreciate it! :) and hopefully I can write that book sometime in the future when I can go chase that goal again
awesome