Paul van der Sterren – författare

Immediately after the release of his chess autobiography In Black and White, Paul van der Sterren describes his spiritual journey as a professional chess player in Mindful Chess. As a boy, Paul became fascinated by chess and became a gladiator at the chess board. To quote Theodore Roosevelt, he met with both victory and defeat, much joy and suffering. When, later in life, he discovered vipassana meditation, he met again with joy and suffering – and approached these issues with the same total devotion as he had brought to chess—thousands and thousands of hours on the cushion and studying Buddhist literature. In Mindful Chess, the reader will follow Paul's journey and get his long and short answer to whether meditation or mindfulness will help one's chess.

When Max Euwe defeated Alexander Alekhine in 1935, the chess world was stunned. A modest Dutch mathematics teacher had dethroned the most charismatic and feared champion of his time. Almost immediately, doubts arose: Was Euwe truly worthy of the crown? Did he really belong in the lineage of Anderssen, Morphy, Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine himself?

Nearly a century later, these questions still influence how Euwe is remembered — and, all too often, how he is underestimated.

This book takes a fresh look at Euwe’s years as World Champion and presents solid evidence. It challenges the familiar narrative that portrays his reign as a brief intermezzo, largely created by Alekhine’s powerful and enduring self-portrait. Euwe himself never played that game. He analysed his victories soberly, credited his opponents generously and avoided self-glorification, even when it was fully deserved.

Drawing on contemporary sources, tournament results, and a close examination of Euwe’s games with today’s best computers, the authors place his achievements in their proper historical context. The picture that emerges is clear: Euwe did not merely win the title — he belonged at the very top. In the mid-1930s, he was consistently on par with and at times surpassed the strongest players in the world.

This book offers a balanced reassessment. However, it leads to an unmistakable conclusion: Max Euwe was not a footnote in chess history — he was a true World Champion.