Literary Works About Chess

Description: Test your knowledge about literary works that revolve around the game of chess.
Number of Questions: 15
Created by:
Tags: literature chess fiction novels short stories
Attempted 0/15 Correct 0 Score 0

In which Vladimir Nabokov novel does the main character, Luzhin, have a fascination with chess?

  1. The Gift

  2. Lolita

  3. The Defense

  4. Invitation to a Beheading


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The Defense is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov that tells the story of Luzhin, a chess prodigy who struggles with mental illness.

Who wrote the short story "The Chess Players"?

  1. Anton Chekhov

  2. Fyodor Dostoevsky

  3. Leo Tolstoy

  4. Nikolai Gogol


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The Chess Players is a short story by Anton Chekhov that tells the story of two men who play chess in a park and discuss the meaning of life.

In which Stephen Zweig novella does a chess game between two men become a battle of wills?

  1. Chess Story

  2. The Royal Game

  3. The Post-Office Girl

  4. Beware of Pity


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Chess Story is a novella by Stephen Zweig that tells the story of a chess game between two men on a ship during World War II.

Which novel by Walter Tevis features a chess-playing computer as the main character?

  1. The Man Who Fell to Earth

  2. The Queen's Gambit

  3. Mockingbird

  4. The Color of Money


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The Queen's Gambit is a novel by Walter Tevis that tells the story of Beth Harmon, a young chess prodigy who rises to the top of the chess world.

In which Salman Rushdie novel does a chess game serve as a metaphor for the Cold War?

  1. Midnight's Children

  2. Shame

  3. The Satanic Verses

  4. Haroun and the Sea of Stories


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Midnight's Children is a novel by Salman Rushdie that tells the story of Saleem Sinai, a boy born at the stroke of midnight on the day of India's independence, and his connection to the history of India.

Who wrote the novel "The Eight"?

  1. Katherine Neville

  2. Dan Brown

  3. James Rollins

  4. Steve Berry


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The Eight is a novel by Katherine Neville that tells the story of a group of eight people who are brought together by a mysterious chess game.

In which Arthur C. Clarke short story does a chess game between two computers lead to a nuclear war?

  1. The Nine Billion Names of God

  2. The Star

  3. Childhood's End

  4. 2001: A Space Odyssey


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The Nine Billion Names of God is a short story by Arthur C. Clarke that tells the story of a chess game between two computers that leads to a nuclear war.

Which novel by William Faulkner features a chess game between two brothers?

  1. The Sound and the Fury

  2. As I Lay Dying

  3. Light in August

  4. Absalom, Absalom!


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The Sound and the Fury is a novel by William Faulkner that tells the story of the Compson family, and includes a chess game between two brothers.

In which Jorge Luis Borges short story does a chess game become a metaphor for the universe?

  1. The Library of Babel

  2. The Garden of Forking Paths

  3. The Aleph

  4. Death and the Compass


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The Garden of Forking Paths is a short story by Jorge Luis Borges that tells the story of a man who travels through a series of alternate realities, each represented by a different chess game.

Who wrote the novel "The Royal Game"?

  1. Stefan Zweig

  2. Arthur Koestler

  3. Vladimir Nabokov

  4. William Faulkner


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The Royal Game is a novel by Stefan Zweig that tells the story of a chess game between two men, one of whom is a world champion and the other a young upstart.

In which Vladimir Nabokov short story does a chess game lead to a murder?

  1. The Defense

  2. The Gift

  3. Lolita

  4. Invitation to a Beheading


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The Defense is a short story by Vladimir Nabokov that tells the story of a chess game between two men, one of whom is a world champion and the other a young upstart.

Which novel by Arthur Koestler features a chess game between a Nazi officer and a Jewish prisoner?

  1. Darkness at Noon

  2. The Age of Longing

  3. Arrival and Departure

  4. The Gladiators


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The Age of Longing is a novel by Arthur Koestler that tells the story of a chess game between a Nazi officer and a Jewish prisoner.

In which Truman Capote short story does a chess game between two men reveal their true characters?

  1. Breakfast at Tiffany's

  2. In Cold Blood

  3. The Grass Harp

  4. A Tree of Night


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

A Tree of Night is a short story by Truman Capote that tells the story of a chess game between two men, one of whom is a world champion and the other a young upstart.

Who wrote the novel "The Chess Master and His Lesson"?

  1. Stefan Zweig

  2. Arthur Koestler

  3. Vladimir Nabokov

  4. William Faulkner


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The Chess Master and His Lesson is a novel by Stefan Zweig that tells the story of a chess master who gives a lesson to a young student.

In which Jorge Luis Borges short story does a chess game become a metaphor for the struggle between good and evil?

  1. The Library of Babel

  2. The Garden of Forking Paths

  3. The Aleph

  4. Death and the Compass


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The Aleph is a short story by Jorge Luis Borges that tells the story of a man who discovers a small sphere that contains the entire universe.

- Hide questions