Book Review – May the Best Player Win by Kyla Zhao, Review by Akshaj Bodla

“May the Best Player Win” is a novel by Kyla Zhao. This novel is about May Li, a young girl who is passionate and striving in chess. May is an awesome chess player and representative of her school team. There were many obstacles for her throughout the story, such as gender bias and overcoming the pressure of expectations from peers. She also struggled with doing this while still loving the game. The story reflects how she overcomes these obstacles and includes chess terms such as zugzwang, pins, and other tactics to explain her life scenario. May shows perseverance in every game of chess she plays and also never gives up in competing with her rival, one of her own teammates. She also builds long-lasting relationships with new friends. This is a great book for elementary and middle schoolers as it teaches many life lessons while also teaching you about chess!