‘The Greenbecker Gambit’ by Ben Graf is a story for all the chess lovers and also the non-chess lovers alike. A tragic but also humorous look at Tennessee Greenbeckers life. A pyromaniac who also loves playing chess, he feels that life has dealt him a gammy hand. He has a struggle with having a handicap, while not wanting people to notice it. Nothing ever goes his way, his family relationships are a struggle. His mental health stops him enjoying life until he is either playing chess or lighting fires.

I found Tennessee almost a self-fulfilling prophecy, his mental health is the main thing that made his outlook so bleak, all the while having his own grandiose ideas of self. His younger brother is the one to pick up the pieces and be his unappreciated slave really, and then be treated so badly and told he should be grateful for being so close to “greatness”!
We are treated to the grittier side of London, with the closed world of professional chess. I know nothing about the game or the masters and I feel like I managed to understand it all (although, Tennessee would have grandly expected more from me!).

Although Tenessee is very hard to empathise with at times I did find myself feeling for him and thinking, If only you could change the way you see life, although, I really wish I could sometimes live in my own reality as he does. He is a fascinating character and a great anti-hero. A memorable person that I won’t forget in a hurry!
Thanks to Rachels Random Resources and Ben Graf for the copy of the book to take part in the blog tour today. I really loved being in Tennessee’s head and life!