Every Move Must Have a Purpose: Strategies from Chess for Business and Life

by Bruce Pandolfini

From the world-renowned chess teacher, a guide to applying the principles of the game to beating the competition in any endeavor.

Fluid and elegant, yet rigorous and rule-bound, chess is a game that seduces, confounds, and hooks. Now, world-renowned chess master and Fortune 500 business consultant Bruce Pandolfini shows readers how chess principles can be simply and logically applied to any business or life situation. No specific chess knowledge is needed, but after reading Every Move Must Have a Purpose, you will share with the most astute chess players the secret to thinking on your feet.

From the celebrated "chairman of the board" comes the secrets of strategy that everyone will find useful.

— Be aggressive, but don't take unnecessary chances
— Answer all threats with a counterthreat
— When exchanging, always get at least as much as you give up

Crisply and engagingly written, with entertaining examples and chess anecdotes, Every Move Must Have a Purpose will improve your strategic thinking so you'll never again debate your next move.

Bruce Pandolfini is one of the world's most sought-after chess teachers, and one of the most widely read chess writers working today. His role as analyst for PBS's coverage of the 1972 match between chess superstars Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky first launched him into the public eye. Pandolfini was portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, and more recently profiled in both the New Yorker and Fast Company. He is a regular columnist for Chess Life, the bible of the chess world, and continues to professionally coach young players and consult with CEOs from numerous Fortune 500 companies. He lives in New York City.

Genres: Chess, Business, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Self Help

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Bruce Pandolfini (born September 17, 1947) is an American chess author, teacher, and coach. A USCF national master, he is generally considered to be America’s most experienced chess teacher. As a coach and trainer, Pandolfini has possibly conducted more chess sessions than anyone in the world. By the summer of 2015 he had given an estimated 25,000 private and group lessons.

(Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Major Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this book: average business advice; really good chess stories.

[Christopher Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a thin book that overgeneralizes in trying to connect to chess and business examples in each case. Overall, I would still highly recommend it as a meta-cognitive refresher on how to think about thinking and it has some great stories about chess grandmasters and the lessons told through their games, but not so many connections to specific business examples or lessons. Some solid strategic lessons learned, several really great quotes that I'm going to go back and highlight and save.

[Claire Binkley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was struggling to remember the exact details about the university I toured in Philly before my computer gave up. It's not important in comparison with how Pandolfini had laid out these fifteen principles with a droll "chessary" (glossary) at the end to explain what everything means.

You, too, may be able to pwn your adversary if you harness these concepts!
What I liked most about this book was its deceptively simple title.

(I am still wary of getting defeated at random no matter how many of these books I read.)

[Gus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the short stories about some of the famous chess games and the strategies that grandmasters employed in them. It mentions among others Alekhine, Morphy, Capablanca, and triggered my interest to explore those particular games more. It doesn’t teach chess tactics and there’s not a single diagram of a chessboard in it or any chess notation. If that’s what you’re looking for that not the book for that.

The book purports to draw parallels between chess and business, it does so with a brief single paragraph at the end of each chapters, and I think that’s plenty sufficient.

[Helfren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The queen is the powerful piece on board but still can be beaten by weakened king and few pawns.That's if you know the plan and execute. Use sacrifice only when you can gain something in return. The most critical mistake in chess is the one you thought is not.

The book elaborates the chess game into digestible chunks and the describe the chess in psychological knowledge based form.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stick to Pandolfini reflections on chess. Stories and how he tied these to unique strategies is a 4.5. Application to business situations/strategies/scenarios, too generic and under-developed to make much sense, a 2. Still, I enjoyed the book and will re-read - it’s brief and historically interesting as it relates … to chess.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read on strategic thinking and how it applies to chess and business. An accessible quick read whether the reader is a chess player or not.

[Riccardo Lo Monaco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing about this book is revelational or revolutionary, but since it’s so short, if you like chess, you won’t feel like you’ve wasted your time with it.

[Dana Peloso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad…. Not the best. Learned more about chess than it’s application to life.

[William Aemisegger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but insightful

[Justin Kukla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine.

[CindyGil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some big picture ideas tossed around with examples of chess play strategies. Overall a decent read even for someone who isn’t familiar with chess.

[Donald Ozello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concise.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good advice outlined from a skilled and experienced chess teacher. This book tries to weave the rigors of chess principles and structure to shed light on lessons that can be employed in the everyday world of business. It is instructive on a rather elementary basis but worth the read especially if you are a fan of chess. There is a lot of time tested wisdom in his narrative and is a good reference guide to revisit.

[Gulino Rosario · Rating 1 out of 5]

Libro: ISBN 978-88-453-1647-0 terminata la lettura. Ci è voluto tanto perché non era per nulla un libro scorrevole da leggere però adesso posso finalmente dedicarmi ad altre faccende e letture molto più utili. La copertina fronte-retro è Plastificata Colorata Rigidissima (P.C.R.). Libro molto inutile per chi pratica gli scacchi con regolarità nei tornei ufficiali FIDE FSI perché poche nozioni nuove ci sono e le analogie con il business sono solo accennate e sarebbero poi tutte da verificare.

[James Pritchert · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a chess master's take on the business world. The author explains chess strategy and relates it to business. This link is a bit of a stretch but not unlike Blanchard's books. It reminds me of "Whale Done" in some respects. Not everything is a direct link to business or leadership. On the other hand, the author's encyclopedic knowledge of chess was fascinating.

[Benjamin Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, mainly because of the chess anecdotes, but I think the book is too short and the strategies too general for them to be useful in business or life. I have yet to try these "strategies" at chess.

[Corey Butler · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's got a great title, but this slim volume contains little more than vague platitudes that will offer little benefit in either chess or life.

[Lori Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A should-read book on executive ability in managing your career.

[Orionsflower · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I would be more interested if I was a chess player.

[Ernest Cadorin · Rating 1 out of 5]

a casual book -- not particularly enlightening

[Stephen Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good weekend read.

[Kristine Sprunger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is good. But. For me, it was unhelpful. It's a broad-strokes kind of advice, and I find more specific advice more helpful.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming, witty and brief. A nice romp of chess and business savvy from a chess legend.