?The most famous chess match of all time reconstructed in a style as compelling as that of a thriller.?

?Pure drama . . . The most cool, ruthless and rational player the world has ever seen.?

?Outstanding . . . The definitive account of this historic struggle.?

?Fascinating and accessible . . .?

A thrilling account of the legendary 1972 clash between Soviet champion Boris Spassky and American challenger Bobby Fischer, an epic Cold War confrontation and the most famous of all chess matches.

Since 1948, the USSR had dominated the World Chess Championships - evidence, Moscow claimed, of the superiority of the Soviet system. But then came Bobby Fischer. A dysfunctional genius, Fischer was uniquely equipped to take on the Soviets. His every waking hour was devoted to the game and he had steamrollered all opposition to reach the championship. When he became increasingly volatile, Henry Kissinger telephoned Fischer and urged him on to fight for his country. Against him was Boris Spassky: complex, sensitive, the most un-Soviet of champions. As the authors reveal, when Spassky began to lose, the KGB decided to help him to fight back.

David Edmonds is, and John Eidinow was, an award-winning journalist with the BBC. Their hugely acclaimed début book, Wittgenstein's Poker, was published in over a dozen languages and shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award.

2008-07-11 Bobby Fischer Goes to War

'Bobby Fischer Goes to War' is an in-depth account of the fischer-spassky matches in Reykjavik in 1972. It starts by briefly looking at each players history and development, before looking at how the match was set up and negotiated and then how it was played. It also looks at events that have come to light since the matches took place and in light of released CIA and KGB documents. It was a touch dry in places, but not excessively so and the rest of the book was so engaging that you quickly get back into the flow and are gripped by the events that unfold. There are various photographs reproduced throughout to illustrate the various points made and characters. There is also an appendix looking at FBI investigations into Fischers mother. Overall this seems to be well researched and written and you don't need to know about chess to enjoy this book. It is a snap shot of a particular place in time, when cold war sensibilities were high and national pride was at stake. A good read, about a landmark match and intriguing protagonists. Well worth a read.