Adventures of a Chess Girl: Into the Depths of the Chess World and Back Again

The world within the black and white squares can be confounding and exhilarating. As a young girl, that's the world in which Katie found refuge from her parents' constant fighting and mean kids at school.

By her early twenties, Katie had largely left chess behind. When she was asked to compete on her college chess team at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championships, she thought it would be her final tournament.

But chess drew her back in. She soon found herself immersed in the world that revolved around the board. The brilliance. The drinking. The glamor. She was hooked.

As she rose to become one of the top 100 women chess players in the nation, she became more and more integrated into the chess world. But staying there came at a cost-which, despite her love of the game, she wasn't sure she could pay.

Katie's deeply personal memoir provides a rare window into the insular world of elite chess as seen through a woman's eyes, while sharing the intimate details of her coming-of-age journey on and off the board.

1148439996
Adventures of a Chess Girl: Into the Depths of the Chess World and Back Again

The world within the black and white squares can be confounding and exhilarating. As a young girl, that's the world in which Katie found refuge from her parents' constant fighting and mean kids at school.

By her early twenties, Katie had largely left chess behind. When she was asked to compete on her college chess team at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championships, she thought it would be her final tournament.

But chess drew her back in. She soon found herself immersed in the world that revolved around the board. The brilliance. The drinking. The glamor. She was hooked.

As she rose to become one of the top 100 women chess players in the nation, she became more and more integrated into the chess world. But staying there came at a cost-which, despite her love of the game, she wasn't sure she could pay.

Katie's deeply personal memoir provides a rare window into the insular world of elite chess as seen through a woman's eyes, while sharing the intimate details of her coming-of-age journey on and off the board.

16.99 Pre Order
Adventures of a Chess Girl: Into the Depths of the Chess World and Back Again

Adventures of a Chess Girl: Into the Depths of the Chess World and Back Again

by Katie Kormanik
Adventures of a Chess Girl: Into the Depths of the Chess World and Back Again

Adventures of a Chess Girl: Into the Depths of the Chess World and Back Again

by Katie Kormanik

Overview

The world within the black and white squares can be confounding and exhilarating. As a young girl, that's the world in which Katie found refuge from her parents' constant fighting and mean kids at school.

By her early twenties, Katie had largely left chess behind. When she was asked to compete on her college chess team at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championships, she thought it would be her final tournament.

But chess drew her back in. She soon found herself immersed in the world that revolved around the board. The brilliance. The drinking. The glamor. She was hooked.

As she rose to become one of the top 100 women chess players in the nation, she became more and more integrated into the chess world. But staying there came at a cost-which, despite her love of the game, she wasn't sure she could pay.

Katie's deeply personal memoir provides a rare window into the insular world of elite chess as seen through a woman's eyes, while sharing the intimate details of her coming-of-age journey on and off the board.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9798993286112
Publisher: Turn the Wheel
Publication date: 12/26/2025
Pages: 288
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

Katie Kormanik was one of the top 50 girls under age thirteen, and later one of the top 100 women chess players in the United States. Chess became her first great passion after learning from her dad at the age of four. Other than an introductory statistics textbook that she wrote fueled by mimosas on Saturdays in New York in her mid-twenties, this is her first book.Her career has focused on corporate learning and development: designing training programs and strategies to upskill employees. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and Golden Retriever, creating online courses such as her chess course for beginners, and attempting to teach her three-year-old chess.
From the B&N Reads Blog
Page 1 of

Customer Reviews