Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal and Petrosian, they were all world champions. Sosonko’s riveting portrait of Mikhail Tal, the inimitable Magician from Riga who to this day mesmerizes chess fans all over the world, bears all the hallmarks of the author’s writing. Few if any knew ‘Misha’ Tal as well as his good friend and training partner. Here you get, for the first time, Tal in full: the nonchalant genius, the charming wit, the womanizer, the cult hero and the drug addict.Mikhail Tal is only one of the chess greats that Sosonko portrays in this book that brings together his best writings on the World Champions of chess. Two of them he could not possibly have met; his story of Alexander Alekhine is based on new research and his essay on Jose Raul Capablanca on unforgettable meetings with Capa’s widow Olga.The other champions Sosonko got to know closely during his wide travels as a chess pro. Countless hours of private conversation as well as research in recently opened KGB archives form the basis of unique portraits of Max Euwe, Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov and Tigran Petrosian.

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