Checkmate
Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess
Contributors
By Ben Mezrich
Formats and Prices
- On Sale
- Jun 2, 2026
- Page Count
- 320 pages
- Publisher
- Grand Central Publishing
- ISBN-13
- 9781538773055
Price
$14.99Price
$19.99 CADFormat
Format:
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In September 2022, the unthinkable happened: nineteen-year-old American chess prodigy Hans Niemann defeated world champion Magnus Carlsen in a stunning face-to-face match. Within days, Carlsen accused Niemann of cheating—a bombshell allegation that rocked the chess world. As the scandal spiraled, Chess.com—the dominant force in online chess—launched a high-stakes investigation igniting a global media firestorm.
But Checkmate is about more than a cheating scandal. It’s the story of a teenager willing to risk everything to rise to the top; a reclusive genius suddenly fighting to protect his legacy; and a centuries-old game transforming into a billion-dollar industry fueled by streaming, sponsorships, and Silicon Valley power players.
With exclusive access to the central figures, Ben Mezrich takes readers deep inside the weird, wild, and cutthroat world of competitive chess—where genius meets ambition, and every move could be your last.
Genre:
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Previous praise for Ben MezrichThe Oregonian
"The reigning cowboy of creative nonfiction."
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Praise for Dumb MoneyPorchlight
"Mezrich can conjure a scene so vivid that you not only feel like you know the people on the page, but feel as if you’re in the room with them."
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"Undoubtedly one of the most entertaining stories of the year, and Mezrich brings new life to the whole thing in this look at the outrageous personalities and corporate drama that fueled it."New York Post
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Praise for Bitcoin BillionairesVanity Fair
"(Bitcoin Billionaires) has all the trappings of a classic adventure: wronged underdogs, party scenes, partners who flip, and, of course, a few villains."
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"The book is written with a slick beauty...as an introduction to the rise of cryptocurrencies and the modern tech world generally, it is as painless and novelistic as could be imagined."The Guardian
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Praise for The Accidental BillionairesNew York Times
"High-octane page-turners, replete with sex, skullduggery, and plot twists worthy of James Patterson."
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"Uproarious...Stimulation enough to keep even an unmedicated narcoleptic awake."Washington Post
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