Perpetual Check

Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com

Two brothers. One championship.

Both Zeke and Randy Mansfield have made it to the Northeast Regional Pennsylvania High School Chess Championship. Zeke, the overly confident senior who succeeds in soccer, baseball, and tennis, was the top chess player in their school before Randy entered as a freshman. He's the one their father calls "Ace," and their father's obsessive coaching has turned Zeke's bravado into a weapon that he intends to wield during the tournament.

For Randy, the slightly overweight freshman who makes up words for fun, chess is something that comes naturally, and he doesn't let the fact that he's beaten his older brother nine times out of ten effect his expectations for the show more tournament.

As the championship progresses, and more talented players are eliminated, it becomes clear that the Mansfield brothers will be facing off against each other in the semifinals. With their father on the sidelines, more excited and competitive than both of them about this match, each brother begins to realize that perhaps their strategies toward chess - and life - aren't so different and incompatible after all.

No matter who wins, this tournament is bound to bring them closer, and offer an understanding that each of them had never thought possible.

I honestly never thought that I'd find a story about a chess match so exciting and compelling. Although one does not need to be a skilled chess player to enjoy this quick, endearing read, it would help the reader to have a basic knowledge of the pieces and workings of the game to increase their enjoyment of this tale. show less

For a thin book, this story covers a lot of ground. It's about two brothers, competing against each other for both the chess title and their father's approval. While they can't both get what they think they want, they do grow closer during the process, which takes place overnight.

Summary: Perpetual Check by Rich Wallace is about two brothers, Zeke and Randy Mansfield, and their relationship with not just each other, but also their father. Zeke is a high school senior, a good soccer player, and a natural chess player that started beating his father at the age of six. Zeke can beat almost anybody, except his little brother. Randy on the other hand is a high school freshman, he’s a little pudgy with a haircut paralleling a Cub Scout, he likes to make up words, and he’s a chess whiz that beats his brother nine times out of ten. But this time, tension runs high since both Zeke and Randy have qualified for a major high school regional championship. If the boys bring everything they’ve got and play their best, show more then it could quite possibly sit one against the other. Their father is there from the beginning, putting more pressure on the boys, coaching from the sidelines and intimidating everyone until they break or try too hard. Now it’s time to see who wins, who loses, and who is loyal.

Review: This wasn’t the best book, but it wasn’t the worst either. Knowledge of chess would have been really helpful, because it can get a little confusing when they are talking about the pieces and the moves if you don’t know anything about chess. Each chapter goes back and forth between perspectives, starting with Zeke. That can also be confusing at first, since you have to continue reading the chapter to know who is talking; but later their personalities show through enough to recognize who is “speaking.” There are some conflicts between the brothers that seem trivial, but then you remember they are brothers and it’s understandable. It’s an extremely quick read, something that can be read in one sitting, seeing as it is only 112 pages. I usually like reading from a male perspective, but this is just not a book with much character development or really story. I can’t say I would recommend this to most people, I would recommend this for someone younger, male, and into chess; but probably not most females. show less