If only there was a way in chess for everyone to lose. No, a draw doesn’t count. However, you could make the argument that Checkmate by Ben Mezrich ends in a draw and that’s what everyone deserves. The story is about chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and a young (and supremely obnoxious) Hans Niemann.
You may at this point be thinking about the recent documentary on Netflix about something like this. It is the exact story as the book. The documentary is really well done and seeing how unlikeable Niemann is in real time is helpful. However, the book does just as good a job showing him with an edge and an axe to grind simultaneously.
This is a quick read which is breezy considering the subject matter. There is no hero but plenty of gray area. The best parts are when the narrative focuses on the chess and the battle between Niemann and Carlsen. I found the business discussion of Chess.com a little less enthralling, but it is certainly not bad. For those like me who read a book even after watching a doc on the same subject, there is nothing new in here. This is not a criticism, but just a heads up. You can still enjoy it, but there is no smoking gun.
(This book was provided as a review copy by Grand Central Publishing.)
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