Interregnum

A riveting chronicle of the culture of elite chess. When Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen announced he would not defend the world title for a fifth time, a generation of top players had the chance of a lifetime to sit on his throne. While the chess grandmaster once seemed a figure of remote dignity, many of today's top players are extremely online enfants terribles who seem to spend as much time trash-talking on social media as they do polishing their opening repertoires. Interregnum follows this fascinating cast of competitors through the series of elite tournaments to determine who will emerge as the next world champion. Through interviews with players and other prominent members of the multi-facted chess community, as well as on-the-scene reports from top tournaments, readers will get to know the brilliant and often eccentric grandmasters who occupy the game's highest ranks, from Carlsen himself to soft-spoken Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi, from Ding Liren, China's first grandmaster, to India's young phenom Gukesh Dommaraju. Part sports chronicle, part paean, part character study, Interregnum offers something for the chess-obsessed and the chess-curious alike, as well as for anyone who enjoys a riveting tale of struggle in sport or triumph of the intellect.