Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess

The ancient game of chess is hotter than ever. The rise of exciting players including Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, combined with the incubator of COVID lockdown boredom, has made chess the game everyone wants to learn and play well. The ability to play online against millions of potential opponents has accelerated chess mastery and competitiveness to the point that Grandmaster-level players can rise from nowhere without ever leaving their homes. Such was the case with Hans Niemann, who clinched the biggest upset in recent chess history—he beat top-ranked Magnus Carlsen at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup tournament in St. Louis. Or did he? Immediately after the competition, Carlsen accused Niemann of cheating. This cheating scandal is the subject of Mezrich’s (Breaking Twitter) latest book, which not only investigates this charge but looks at the larger issue of chess cheating, how it is done, and how those in the chess industry combat it both online and at in-person tournaments. Mezrich’s fast-paced, riveting style makes the text speed by like a book form of the Fast & Furious movies.