The Last Gambit

By: Om Swami

Narrated by: Vikrant Chaturvedi

Success by design is infinitely better than a win by chance. Vasu Bhatt is 14 years old when a mysterious old man spots him at a chess tournament and offers to coach him, on two simple but strange conditions: he would not accompany his student to tournaments, and there was to be no digging into his past. Initially resentful, Vasu begins to gradually understand his master’s mettle. Over eight years, master and student come to love and respect each other, but the two conditions remain unbroken–until Vasu confronts and provokes the old man. Meanwhile, their hard work and strategy pay off: Vasu qualifies for the world chess championship. But can he make it all the way without his master by his side? Inspiring, moving and mercurial, The Last Gambit is a beautiful coming-of-age tale in a uniquely Indian context.

©2017 Om Swami (P)2024 Audible Singapore Private Limited

A beautiful story on excellence

I don’t play chess so I was skeptical
Of reading this book thinking that I would not understand it. But it’s a beautiful story which teaches how to achieve excellence in any field. And so many more lessons.

This was a great listen

A great story, well crafted... I really enjoyed the listen, the performance of the voice actor is pretty good.

A story of love and devotion. Outstanding!

I found this book while looking for lessons in chess, but this story taught me more than lessons about chess, this is a story about love and commitment. I better understand now that love takes sacrifice: like a gambit in chess, you must sacrifice to gain a meaningful advantage in the game of life too. This book moved me to tears at times, but also brought me moments of joy and happiness too. It is definitely worth a read or listen.