Checkmate
Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess
Published on 7. April 2026
320 pages
978-1-5387-7305-5 (ISBN)
Description
"The best black-and-white drama this side of Chess on Broadway." - Vanity Fair
From the bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires and Bringing Down the House comes the cinematic true story about the biggest scandal in modern chess.
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.
From the bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires and Bringing Down the House comes the cinematic true story about the biggest scandal in modern chess.
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.
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Other editions
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Book
approx. 06/2026
Grand Central Publishing
€28.50
Not yet published
Person
Ben Mezrich is the New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires (adapted by Aaron Sorkin into the David Fincher film The Social Network), Bringing Down the House (adapted into the #1 box office hit film 21), The Antisocial Network, and many other bestselling books. His books have sold over six million copies worldwide.
