Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life

by Danny Rensch

Overview

Educated meets The Queen's Gambit in this extraordinary memoir by International Master and Chess.com co-founder Danny Rensch, who 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. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541703285
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	09/16/2025
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.19(d)

About the Author

Danny Rensch is an international chess master, world-renowned chess broadcaster and commentator, and chief chess officer for Chess.com. Rensch was a seven-time all-American chess player and a multiple-time national scholastic chess champion. He became the youngest chess master in Arizona history and today lives in Utah with his wife and four children.

Editorial Reviews

A winning memoir.” —Kirkus

“Dark Squares is a heart-breaking, hilarious, ultimately transcendent story of one man’s journey out of chaos and dysfunction. Danny Rensch’s vehicle for escape was not anger or hate, but rather finding what he loved—chess—and turning it into his superpower. Thank you, Danny Rensch, for making my Christmas shopping easier.”

—Jeannette Walls, author of the New York Times bestseller The Glass Castle

“Dark Squares is a powerful memoir and a testimony to why an ancient boardgame still has a place in our modern world. With a home life as troubled as the one Danny Rensch experienced, the complexities of the chessboard were more than a mere distraction. Chess is not life—even a world champion can admit that. But, as in Rensch’s case, it can certainly save one. With his work at Chess.com and with this beautiful book, he is well on the way to paying back his debt to our beloved game.”—Garry Kasparov, 13th World Chess Champion

“Great men overcome great obstacles—and I haven’t been this inspired by an underdog story in a long time. Taken from his mother, raised in a cult, Danny rose to the very pinnacle of the chess world—and then the business world. A must read.”—Bobby Hall (a.k.a. Logic), #1 New York Times bestselling author of Supermarket

"A fantastic read! Danny Rensch’s story is inspiring, fascinating, and at times heartbreaking. His wild ride from a difficult and traumatic childhood to becoming one of the most influential people in the history of chess will keep you turning pages way past bedtime. Compelling and unique, Dark Squares is a deep dive into the chess world through the eyes of someone who is at the center of it all.”—Ben Mezrich, author of Bringing Down the House

From the Publisher