Book Review: "May the Best Player Win" by Kyla Zhao
Can You Play For Fun, If You're Playing to Win?
You may have already seen several blogs about the book that is sweeping across the chess world, May the Best Player Win by Kyla Zhao. Rather than repeating the praise it's been receiving, I want to focus on one of the main reasons this book resonated with me: its theme of pressure. I'm also interspersing chess puzzles that could've been actual positions in the novel. Answers to the puzzles will be given near the end of the blog.
You can buy this novel on Amazon or All retailers
In the novel, May Li places a high-stakes bet with her rival, but as the pressure mounts, it starts affecting both her play and her love for the game. May’s journey hit close to home for me because it reminded me of my own path to becoming a National Master (NM). And man am I good at making anything and everything about me 😊
May is just 12 years old when she faces the weight of expectations, but for me, that moment came a little later—I was almost 15 when I started playing competitive chess. Despite having some natural skill, I had never played in tournaments before, but after I started, I quickly rose through the ranks. Within two years, I won the Southern California High School Championships, and a year later, I crossed the 2000 rating barrier. At that point, I figured it would only be a matter of time before I broke 2200 and became a National Master.
Boy, was I wrong.
I was 18 and starting university when I realized that my usual strategy of relying on natural talent wasn’t enough anymore—both in chess and in academics. In chess, opponents were no longer crumbling under my hyper-aggressive play; instead, they were turning it against me. I was slowly creeping toward the NM title, but it wasn’t the smooth journey I had anticipated. My confidence began to waver. I found myself questioning whether I would ever break 2200. Studying felt disheartening, as the results weren’t as dramatic as they had been earlier in my chess career, and with less time to devote to the game, progress seemed even harder to come by.
Eventually, I decided to put chess on the back burner and focus on enjoying college. I told myself I could always return to chess later, once I had built my career, experienced life, and maybe even found a life partner. My only chess engagement during this time was playing in the Amateur Team West—a team tournament with friends, and I went into them with no expectations—just a desire to have fun. Ironically, it was during one of these tournaments, playing without any pressure, that I finally earned enough rating points to cross 2200 and become a National Master.
Reading May the Best Player Win brought back all these memories because, like May, I struggled with balancing the joy of the game and the weight of performance. When I finally let go of the pressure, I achieved my goal—just as May finds her own way to reconcile her love for chess with the challenges of competition.
"A game-changer for readers of all ages, regardless of whether you play chess! From start to finish, this book will have you cheering for May from the edge of your seat and inspired to conquer your next match in life." -IM Carissa Yip, current US women's chess champion
About the Author
Kyla Zhao is a chess player who's about to release a new children's novel (May the Best Player Win) that I've read and greatly enjoyed. The novel is inspired by her own experience as a chess player and will resonate with parents and kids, players and non-players. Described as a family-friendly version of The Queen's Gambit, the book tackles themes of gender stereotypes and performance anxiety in competitive chess.
After graduating from Stanford University in 2021, Kyla's now a Silicon Valley analyst by day and an author by night. Her books have been featured by CBS, NBC, Good Morning America, Vogue, Buzzfeed, South China Morning Post, etc. And Kyla herself was selected as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the California State Assembly.
Media outlets such as Chessbase, Chessbase India, Chess Life, etc. will be featuring her book, and she's been invited to speak at chess federations, organizations, schools, and clubs - including the World Championship 2024. Given how relevant the book's themes are to chess and non-chess players alike, Kyla would love to share more with your community.
Puzzle Answers
I hope you will consider reading this book, that I very much enjoyed. You can find it on Amazon or All retailers. This book is more than just a chess novel—it’s a reflection of the challenges anyone faces when pursuing something they’re passionate about. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the key to success is not grinding under pressure, but finding the fun in what you love.
If you do that, you'll no doubt----Stay Impressive!
NM Craig C.
