The Kings of New York

The Kings of New York: A Year Among the Geeks, Oddballs and Geniuses Who Make Up America's Top High-School Chess Team

First edition
Author	Michael Weinreb
Language	English
Publisher	Gotham Books
Publication date	2007
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	289
ISBN	978-1-59240-261-8
OCLC	71800471
Dewey Decimal	794.109747/2 22
LC Class	GV1325.N49 W35 2007

The Kings of New York: A Year Among the Geeks, Oddballs and Geniuses Who Make Up America's Top High-School Chess Team is a 2007 book written by Michael Weinreb, that follows the day-to-day activities of the Edward R. Murrow High School chess team. The team, which included International Masters Alex Lenderman (now a Grandmaster) and Salvijus Bercys, was observed for a year starting in September 2005.^[1]

Edward R. Murrow High, situated in Brooklyn, United States, allows students the freedom to devote time to projects of their own choosing. Eliot Weiss, a math teacher and chess fanatic, started a chess club, promoted it vigorously in the media, and took it on tour across the USA. In the process he made it one of the best chess teams in the country. The New York Times called the book "thrilling, vigorously reported" and "deeply empathic."^[2] It was also named one of the best nonfiction books of the year by Amazon.com,^[3] The Christian Science Monitor,^[4] and Publishers Weekly.^[5]

While the chess club had already existed. The Edward R. Murrow Chess Team was established during the 1984-1985 school year, playing competitively against other Brooklyn high schools.

The Kings of New York won the 2007 Quill Award as best sports book.^[1]

References

1. "The Kings of New York", Rick Kennedy, Chessville, accessed September 16, 2009.
2. "Mad Hot Chessboard" James Kaplan, The New York Times, March 4, 2007.
3. Amazon.com's Top 10 Nonfiction Books of 2007,
4. "The 2007 books we liked best: nonfiction", The Christian Science Monitor, December 4, 2007,
5. "PW's Best Books of the Year", Publishers Weekly, Nov. 5, 2007.