Genna Sosonko is widely acclaimed as the most prominent chronicler of a unique era in chess history when the Soviet Union developed chess into an ideological weapon to demonstrate the power of socialism. Sosonko was born in Leningrad, where he lived for 29 years. After he emigrated to the Netherlands, he became a world-class chess grandmaster. This monumental book is a collection of the portraits and profiles Genna Sosonko wrote for New in Chess Magazine, including legends such as Mikhail Tal, Viktor Korchnoi and David Bronstein, and unforgettable personalities such as 'Chip' Chepukaitis and Sergey Nikolaev. The Foreword is by Garry Kasparov.

Genna Sosonko paints portraits of players, both famous and forgotten, from the golden age of Soviet chess, as well as highly personal views on the psychology of the game and its players. This volume radiates the author's love and devotion to chess, yet is tempered by objectivity and detachment. It will enchant not only chess players, but all who recognize the cultural value of chess.