num_pages: 256
description: A chilling story of obsession and madness. Luzhin, a distracted, withdrawn boy, takes up chess as a refuge from everyday life. As he rises to the heights of grandmaster, the game of chess gradually supplants the world of reality as he moves inexorably towards madness.
language: English
title: The Luzhin Defense
titlecomplete: The Luzhin Defense
characters: Ivan Luzhin, Valentinov, Turati, Aleksandr Ivanovich Luzhin
genres: 20th Century, Russia, Literary Fiction, Novels, Drama, Literature, Russian Literature, Classics, Fiction, Chess
ratings_count: 13138
awards: awardedAt: -157737600000
name: National Book Award
category: Fiction
publisher: Vintage