Author Description

A memoir and tribute to 45 years of world-class chess competition, this book's two major themes coalesce a series of humorous, sometimes ominous anecdotes into a realistic and compelling portrait of the stars and the controversy behind chess on the world stage. While much of the book focuses on the actions of the game's greatest geniuses, including Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, and the controversial Florencio Campones, these true-to-life tales spare no detail in the accounts of the underhanded manipulations of the game by despots and world leaders alike, among them Fidel Castro, Jacques Chirac, Saddam Hussein, and Margaret Thatcher. The abuse of the game by international organizations is also documented: readers will get the inside scoop on a player's seduction by a KGB agent, and will learn how a Russian police chief known as the Bloodthirsty Dwarf attempted to turn the tides of one tournament in his country's favor.