My favorite book is by Reverte.

It's truly remarkable how he manages to make the game of chess so interesting.

I had always thought of chess as a rather dry and complicated game, but Reverte's writing has completely changed my perspective.

His vivid descriptions and engaging storytelling bring the world of chess to life.

Through the characters and their experiences, I have come to understand the strategic depth and intellectual challenge that lies within this ancient game.

Whether it's the intense battles on the chessboard or the personal dramas that unfold off it, Reverte's book has me hooked from start to finish.

It's not just a book about chess; it's a captivating exploration of human nature, ambition, and the pursuit of excellence.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, whether you're a chess enthusiast or simply looking for a great read.

You'll be surprised at how interesting chess can be.

A knight, an art conservator, and an eccentric chess player are seeking the solution behind a chess game in a Flemish painting. However, as they unwind the mystery of the medieval painting, they also get entangled in the footsteps of a serial killer who seems to be trying to keep the secret of the painting hidden.

The entire book is a masterfully crafted chess game by the author.

The characters in the story are very well-developed, and despite its size, the book never gets "boring" anywhere.

Enjoyable!

5/5

Edit: Those who know even the basic rules of chess will appreciate the book a little more, although this doesn't mean that the others won't find the mystery interesting and the solution captivating...

This book offers a unique blend of art, mystery, and chess, creating an engaging and thrilling read. The author's skill in weaving these elements together is truly remarkable. The story takes the readers on a journey filled with twists and turns, keeping them on the edge of their seats until the very end. Whether you are a fan of art, mystery, or chess, this book is sure to satisfy your cravings. So, pick up a copy and get ready to be immersed in a world of intrigue and excitement.

Ahi ahi ahi... If it weren't for the chess, it would have been an excellent job, like 5 stars.

That is, it is an excellent job, but the central theme of the novel, namely the interpretation of a mysterious phrase discovered during the restoration of a 15th-century Flemish painting, soon turns into a chess challenge starting from an element of the painting. Previous moves and future moves, thus, just out of curiosity, just to see how the game that is stopped on the board could evolve and end.

Here, I don't understand anything about chess, and in general I don't like strategy games (and war games, like Risk to understand each other) where attacks, defenses and much more are the basis of the challenge, together with patience, waiting, time, cunning, clearly with the objective of winning, unleashing on the least experienced or simply the most unfortunate. I tried to understand, also thanks to the inserted tables, but I gave up almost immediately. Too complicated! So I limited myself to following the main facts... It was much more interesting to understand and know who the characters represented on the table were and their story: two men and a woman, linked to each other by friendship, betrayal, love, jealousy, secrets...

For the rest: excellent writing, beautiful setting, good story and the underlying mystery, well-characterized characters, and - like in a game, this time simpler, with elimination - the predictable solution... which leaves a lot of bitterness in the mouth.

# LdM: Spain

3.5 Stars
This is one of the few books that publishers keep reprinting, not allowing it to die. The particular copy I have had reached its 21st edition in 2009. It seems they found another goose that continuously lays golden eggs for them, as evidenced by the stable and unwavering price over the years.

Although I ultimately gave it 3.5 stars, I would not recommend it to those who do not know or love chess. I must warn you that my rating is somewhat biased. However, considering a large number of readers who are not familiar with or do not wish to mix literature with the game, my review will be divided into pros and cons.

The plot, in a nutshell, is one of the few literary books where we encounter chess diagrams. The author seems to know about chess and constructs a unique police plot around a position on a 15th-century chessboard depicted in a painting (the cover image).

Julia (an art restorer) and her friend Hector are forced to hire a chess player to solve the mystery of the game. The game hides a secret related to the place, time, and people represented in the painting (around 1471). A separate story in the past comes alive again.

Moreover, the chess player will prove very useful when an unknown murderer starts killing people, precisely imitating the way the pieces move on the chessboard. In the present time.

So we have a dual story. In the past and the present!

The plot is ingenious and original, like a captivating mystery. It uses chess, elevating it as an essential tool in solving the police case. Instead of having the familiar and tired detective going through the known process of investigation to solve the murder, here it is the... chessboard that does it.

Now for some cons, starting with the marketing. It does everything it can to convince us to buy its product. What does the back cover tell us? \\"...an old Flemish teacher cunningly hides within one of his paintings, in the form of a chess game, the key to a secret that could change the history of Europe...\\" which, after being adopted - this flamboyant cliché - and many other \\"saleable\\" ones. Can the history of Europe or the world change so easily? From a painting, from a key, or from a Da Vinci code or whatever it's called? No, sir. Such secrets do not exist, and here, where we are discussing it, I did not understand if there is even a secret with social - global dimensions.

Another annoying point is the static nature of the protagonists. There are no developments in the form of adventures, there is no energy, and even the movements are limited to the houses of the involved parties. The author tries to cover this - apart from the chess - with some bombastic blabbering about artistic, musical, and literary topics that are tiring and have no direct relation to the plot.

How would you feel, how would you perceive it when you read at one point that the suspects and the victims are in danger of being exhausted? I, surprised, looked at the number of pages and saw that there were another 99 pages left until the end!

Another approximately 50 pages remain when everything is over and the reader is forced to endure the blabbering of the culprit in the form of an apology. The blabbering in spades (but that's another story).

In general, the one-note nature becomes tiring for the reader (see also my review of \\"Are you ready player one?\\").

The author knows this and tries to cover it up: \\"In The Flanders Panel, painting, music, literature, history, logic, and mathematics merge into an exciting game, which Arturo Pérez-Reverte \\"directs\\" with diabolical mastery.\\" But this Pérez-Reverte \\"salad\\" messed up my \\"appetite\\".

These are my thoughts. If I were not also a lover of chess, I might have said other things. Unfortunately, it cannot be compared to the amazing \\"The Club Dumas/Shadow of the Wind\\" by the same author.

As for the friends, chess players, I should mention that the time will pass pleasantly, they will enjoy it, and their desire for the game will be rekindled. Moreover, they will often be tempted to analyze the moves from the game mentioned in the painting and the diagrams.

In an attempt to discover if the game in the book was real, my research led me to the discovery of the person/people who analyze it in the book. So the two central characters, César (the restorer) and Muniot (the chess player), refer to the same person, real, who lived from 1929 to 2000. It is CESAR MUNOZ, an unknown amateur chess player from Ecuador, a mechanic by profession whose fame skyrocketed when he won against BEN LARSON (the famous International Grandmaster who said the pessimistic \\"there is no mate in modern chess\\") in 1957. After this triumph, his country, Ecuador, followed him in every tournament it participated in until he reached the zenith of his glory 3 years later when he managed to win against the mythical BOBBY FISCHER (!!!) in his favorite game, in his favorite opening, in the Sicilian Defense Dragon variation! It was 1960 at the 14th Chess Olympiad.

Incredible things* http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessg...

* For the uninitiated, I should mention that chess, according to the official regulations of the official organizations, has only declared 14 world champions until the death of CESAR MUNOZ in 2000, one of whom was also the American Robert James Fischer.

As GARRY KASPAROV tells us in his series of books My Great Predecessors https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

\\"...this select group of superstars (only 14 in 117 years!) has provided the greatest possible service to chess. To win the highest title, they had to overcome the first among the best, that is, to discover something new and surprise their extremely experienced and talented opponents.\\"

So defeat is a rare fate for a world champion, especially for the great BOBBY FISCHER. So, as it is easily understandable, the scope of Muniot's victory is mythical. Enjoy him in The Flanders Panel!

I don't quite remember how I managed to get a hold of this particular book. However, one fine day, while I was in the process of cleaning my bookshelves, I chanced upon it.

At the beginning, the book seemed rather promising. It presented a captivating mystery and murder story that, to some extent, reminded me a little of The Da Vinci Code. But as I delved deeper into the book, by the middle, the story started to take some really strange turns. It became weirder and weirder with each passing page.

And then, when I finally reached the ending, it was completely unrealistic and unbelievable. It felt as if the author had just thrown together some random ideas without properly tying up the loose ends. I would not recommend this book at all.

If you are in search of a good mystery book, I would highly suggest giving The Da Vinci Code a try. It has all the elements of a thrilling mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. On the other hand, if you are more inclined towards a good murder book, then any of Agatha Christie's books will surely do the trick. Her stories are known for their clever plots and unexpected twists.

One of the first novels by the great Pérez-Reverte.

A young art restorer, into whose hands comes a Renaissance painting that hides a great secret.

From there, he weaves a novel of adventure and action that, although not by any means among his best works, is read with interest.

The way he weaves the plot like a chess game gives it a touch of originality, and each move in the game leads to an event in the narration.

It is a novel that keeps the reader engaged and curious to see how the story unfolds.

The characters are well-developed, and the descriptions of the art and the settings add to the overall atmosphere of the book.

Although it may not be a masterpiece, it is still a worthy read for fans of Pérez-Reverte and those who enjoy adventure novels.

Recommended.

Please provide the article that needs to be rewritten and expanded so that I can assist you further.

Adiei, and I postponed reading this book out of fear. In the end, it was unfounded because I really liked "The Flanders Panel".

The two or three books that I have already read by Arturo Pérez-Reverte were not satisfactory. However, the synopsis of this one pleased me and I decided to try again, and it was a good decision!

The story in "The Flanders Panel" is engaging and full of mystery. The author's writing style is vivid and descriptive, making it easy to imagine the scenes and characters.

I found myself completely immersed in the book from beginning to end. The plot twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat, eager to find out what would happen next.

Overall, I highly recommend "The Flanders Panel" to anyone who enjoys a good mystery or historical fiction. It is a well-written and captivating book that will leave you wanting more.

Unique theme, painting, chess and criminal case. The main character is a talented female restaurateur, and the central theme is a painting by a Germanic painter, with chess figures and a historical background.

Pérez writes in detail about painting, auction houses, and artists, presenting a bohemian and ruthless world at the same time.

The solution to the crimes occurs through chess moves, which was difficult for me to understand.

I tried to follow, but unfortunately I only learned the basics a long time ago.

For those who are good at playing chess, it may be much more interesting!

The author's other novel was more to my liking. The style is also difficult here, and it can be felt that it was written more than 30 years ago.

Addition: Let's not look for this picture among the real ones :)

But the picture itself was very nice...

I have admittedly read and greatly enjoyed the majority of Perez-Reverte’s books in English.

The Flanders Panel, in particular, is a book that I originally read back in the 1990s. Now, it feels like the perfect time for a reread.

The story is set in modern Spain and delves into the captivating world of fine art. It is intertwined with a touch of murder and a painting, and what links all of this together is the strategic game of chess.

The characters in the book are all interesting and well-developed. There is a well-thought-out story, complete with a good plot and tantalising puzzles that keep the reader engaged. The thriller is both absorbing, with plenty of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. If you read carefully, you'll be able to spot the murderer early on. However, it still requires you to think a bit and leaves you thinking long after you set the book aside.

Overall, The Flanders Panel is an enjoyable literary thriller that combines elements of mystery, art, and strategy to create a truly engaging reading experience.

The Flanders Panel presents chess in its most authentic form. It's truly remarkable, as if each piece is a character and every move holds a significant influence. To emerge victorious, one must traverse the path of death.

"I would say that chess has more to do with the art of murder than it does with the art of war.”

The enigma within the panel may not be overly astonishing, but the way it is manipulated and uncovered is truly engaging.

"Amazing,” he murmured.

This book also evokes some bittersweet memories. I recall long Friday afternoons at the "Y", watching my Dad and his good friend "Papang" play chess. They would always start with the question, "Mahusay na klase ka ba?" When they got tired, my brothers and I would take over, and the same question would be repeated.

In life, it doesn't really matter if you are "mahusay na klase" or not. What matters is that we make our best moves to live a fulfilling life and make our parents proud.

"Life is an uncertain adventure in a diffuse landscape, whose borders are continually shifting, where all frontiers are artificial, where at any moment everything can either end only to begin again or finish suddenly, for ever and ever, like an unexpected blow from an axe. Where the only absolute, coherent, indisputable and definitive reality is death."

I hope my thoughts make sense because...

"It's a shame you don't play chess, Senorita."

Εξαίσιο. Η σχεδόν αστυνομική πλοκή σε συνδυασμό με την χαρακτηριστική γραφή του συγγραφέα δημιουργεί μια μοναδική αναγνωστική εμπειρία. Η πλοκή είναι τόσο περίπλοκη και συναρπαστική που κρατά τον αναγνώστη σε συνέχει στο άκουσμα. Η γραφή του συγγραφέα είναι τόσο δυνατή και ευέλικτη που μπορεί να απεικονίσει με ακρίβεια τις συναισθήσεις και τα σκεπτικά των χαρακτήρων.

Επίσης, η σχέση που αναπτύσσεται μεταξύ των ηρώων προσθέτει ένα άλλο επίπεδο ενδιαφέροντος στο βιβλίο. Οι χαρακτήρες είναι τόσο διαφορετικοί και πολυδιάστατοι που η αναγνώστη ενδιαφέρεται για το τι θα συμβεί με αυτούς στο τέλος. Η σχέση τους είναι τόσο συγκλονιστική και συγκρουσιακή που προσθέτει ένταση και αγωνία στο κείμενο.

Συνολικά, όλα αυτά τα στοιχεία συντείνουν στην δημιουργία μιας σπάνιας αναγνωστικής εμπειρίας που θα μείνει αξέχαστη στον αναγνώστη.