Russian Silhouettes

As a respected trainer who became a world-class chess grandmaster after leaving Leningrad and moving to Holland in 1972, Genna Sosonko observes the golden age Soviet chess from a privileged dual perspective. Combining an insider's nostalgia with the detachment of a critical observer, he has produced unforgettable portraits of the heroes of this bygone era: Tal, Botvinnik, Geller, Polugaevsky, and the legendary trainer Zak are some of his subjects. This New Editon has two brand new stories. Delightful —The Washington Post.

The dissolution of the Soviet Union marked the end of a unique chapter in the history of chess. With hindsight we can only marvel at the pivotal place the royal game occupied in the biggest country in the world.

Originally embraced by Lenin as 'gymnastics of the mind', chess developed into an ideological weapon during the Cold War. Supported by the Soviet leadership, chess champions, from Mikhail Botvinnik on, grew into symbols of socialist excellence.

As a respected trainer who became a world-class grandmaster after leaving Leningrad and moving to Holland in 1972, Genna Sosonko observes Soviet chess from a privileged dual perspective. Combining an insider's nostalgia with the detachment of a critical observer, he has produced unforgettable portraits of the heroes of a vanished age. This is a new, enlarged edition of a modern classic.

Contents......Page 5 My Misha - Mikhail Tal......Page 19 A Joruney to Immortality - Mikhail Botvinnik......Page 30 "I Must Work, I Must Work" - Lev Polugaevsky......Page 56 The Chess King of Odessa - Efim Geller......Page 69 In a Silent Way - Paul Keres......Page 83 I Knew Capablanca.........Page 97 A Great Teacher Inspires - Vladimir Zak......Page 120 "You Ask the Questions" - Semyon Furman......Page 135 The Maestro - Alexander Koblenz......Page 150 The Jump - Alvis Vitolins......Page 173 The Summing Up - Grigory Levenfish......Page 189 Index of Names......Page 221