"The Chess Master" is a captivating tale of the dramatic transformation of the protagonist Wang Yisheng from an obsessive chess player into an enlightened chess master who understnads the Tao of life. Although the story is set in the tumultuous years of the Cultural Revolution, it shuns the depiction of political violence and human suffering and focuses on the simple pleasures of life enjoyed by Wang and other high school students sent to work in state farms. It is noted for its celebration of friendship, occasional feasts, and Chinese chess, but the core of the story lies in A Cheng's belief in the great potential of seemingly ordinary people in self-transcendence. 〈棋王〉描述主人公王一生如何由一名心無二用的棋癡，變成領悟生命真諦的棋王的過程；故事跌宕起伏，扣人心弦。小說以文革的動盪歲月爲背景，但無意渲染文革的苦難，凸顯的反而是王一生和一衆知青下鄉時的簡樸快樂生活。小說對友情、會餐和對弈之樂的謳歌，爲讀者所樂道；但作者對普通百姓克服困難、超越自我的能力之信念，更令人動容。