A collection of thought-provoking essays by physicist-turned-filmmaker Howard Burton about a wide range of chess-related issues which he encountered while being a "tourist" in the chess world during the production of the 4-part documentary series about the fascinating history and sociocultural significance of chess, Through the Mirror of Chess: A Cultural Exploration. Howard has produced a comprehensive investigation into the remarkable impact of chess across a wide range of times and places up to the present day, touching on cultural history, the nature of competitiveness, artificial intelligence, psychology, art, literature, gender issues, education, and much more in an attempt to comprehensively address the question of what makes the game so unique. These essays provide insightful and playful reflections on the (ab)uses of the history of the game to the birth of the modern game as a competitive sport and the way it is run by FIDE. Howard also questions several of the long-held assumptions about its widely acclaimed benefits and highlights the many surprising contemporary applications of chess to artificial intelligence, prison reform, social inequality, and more and makes sharp observations on what chess reveals about current attitudes to gender, technology, sports, entertainment and the nature of play.
