Dark Squares

How Chess Saved My Life

De: Danny Rensch

Narrado por: Danny Rensch

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.

Excellent book!

Danny shares from his heart the often tragic circumstances that formed him as a person and a chess player. He does it in an engaging way that both holds the listeners attention and educates them about the history of chess. My only criticism is that he’s dropping F-bombs constantly, which seems to be the current fad in modern literature, but it still subtracts from the overall story. I know many will disagree with me about this because they feel the F word has been normalized now, but that’s still a matter of individual opinion. However, the fact that he narrates his own book really adds to the feeling of sincerity and honesty that marks this book. Overall I’m grateful for this glimpse into the transformation not only of one man, but also of the transformation of the game of chess as it enters the internet age.

Amazing book!

Danny’s story is amazing. It’s heartbreaking and encouraging. I couldn’t put it down. It is nothing short of incredible.

Incredible Story

Wonderful narration, heartbreaking content, and highly engaging. Huge respect for Danny’s courage and vulnerability sharing such a personal story.

Stunning Memoir

I don’t know much about chess, so I went into this book blind but excited to read it. I couldn’t stop listening. Danny’s story of resilience in the face of so much personal neglect and abuse is inspiring. Despite having a heavier subject matter for the book, it is still infused with humorous personal stories, making the overall effect balanced and very engaging while deftly handling hard subjects. It’s a stellar book I’d recommend to anyone, whether you know anything about chess or not.

Heart breaking and overwhelmingly informative. Inspiring and thought provoking. Loved every minute.

Heart breaking and overwhelmingly informative. Inspiring and thought provoking. The interworking of a cult and the history of chess unfold.
Loved every minute

Finding Inspiration in Tragedy

Danny does a great job of describing his world and the rise of chess com. He’s insights into what it took to be a well performing player plus the view into his cult world was very interesting.

He’s insight into chess cheating scandals and how chess com rose is also very articulate. He’s very well spoken and I appreciated his narration.

I recommend to those that love the game and are curious about the rise of chess com as well as the cult his was in.

One-of-a-kind life story, kept me enthralled throughout the whole book!

Loved this autobiography, with such an interesting early childhood situation and experience. So amazing to read of the effect that a classic game can have on someones life!

Loved this book!

Love how he wove in what was happening in the chess world to his life. Great book!

For all lovers of Chess, regardless of ELO

Incredibly well written and told. Danny’s story is remarkable. Now, Dark Squares is my go to recommendation for anybody remotely interested in chess.

Hearing about Danny’s history combined with the explosion in online chess was fascinating

I loved this book and it gave such a powerful insight into both Danny’s life and Chess history and future.