The Royal Game

The Royal Game The Royal Game is the masterpiece by one of the greatest writers of the early 20th century, who embodies a cosmopolitan spirit and a belief in a world founded on intellectual values. This extraordinarily powerful novella, written in 1942, a few months before Stefan Zweig committed suicide in exile, revolves around a decisive and deathly game of chess, where the board becomes the battleground on which the individual stories interweave with the collective story. On a cruise liner, Dr B. and the world chess champion Czentovi decide to play against each other. An incredibly symbolic game, a metaphor for the confrontation of two entirely different kinds of humanity: the strong minded, mechanical and deliberate form embodied by the chess champion, against the sensitive, subtle and cultured approach of Dr B., who survived persecution only thanks to his passion for chess. The ending is a reflection on the breakup of Europe at the hands of Nazism, a devastating monster devoid of any conscience.