>>> SHORTLISTED FOR THE CHESSCAFE 2007 BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD!!<<<
The Inside Story of the World Chess Championship Matches that Vladimir Kramnik Won Against Garry Kasparov, Peter Leko and Veselin Topalov
Part 1: Overthrow of a Colossus: London 2000 Part 2: Photo Finish in Brissago: 2004 Part 3: Big Brother in Chess City: Elista 2006
'Did Kramnik shout at you?' -- 'Justifiably!'
'This stinks. And it stinks badly.'
'After the opening we were absolutely horrified again.'
Three quotes about crucial moments in three World Chess Championship matches. They were spoken by Vladimir Kramnik’s second Evgeny Bareev. Just a few dramatic fragments from an extraordinary account of the main battles in the life of Vladimir Kramnik, a World Champion and a Samurai, in Bareev’s words.
From London to Elista gives a fascinating look behind the scenes of top-level chess. It provides superb analysis of all the games by Bareev, and it does much more. In Socrates-style dialogues, Bareev and co-author Ilya Levitov reveal everything about the preparation, the progress and the aftermath, about the secret strategy and the brutal stress of the three battles.
This rich book is indispensable for anyone who wants to know what makes top grandmasters tick. It is written from the horse’s mouth, and it is full of honesty, irony, history, wit, anger, wisdom, and even poetry. With many photographs.
Evgeny Bareev is one of the world’s strongest grandmasters today. He was Kramnik’s second during the matches against Kasparov in 2000 and against Leko in 2004, and was in close contact with the Kramnik team during the scandal-plagued match with Topalov in Elista. Public relations expert Ilya Levitov has been an ardent chess amateur all his life. He is a close friend of Vladimir Kramnik and Evgeny Bareev.
Former Dutch Champion IM Gert Ligterink, de Volkskrant: "Undisputably the best chess book of 2007 (...) A terrific read."
ChessVibes: "Bareev’s account of the events is simply breathtaking."
British Chess Magazine: "Absolutely riveting (...) It is rare for anybody to have taken the lid off the day-to-day work that seconds do and still rarer for them to have made it so interesting."
Bob Long, Chessco: "It's insider stuff. It's history. It's anecdotes. It's real. It's terrific."
Johan Hut, Schakers.info: "A monumental book."
ChessCafe: "The reader has been given a backstage pass to the inner sanctum of world championship contenders, experiencing the physical and emotional roller coaster they must endure on their way to the highest title in chess."
Former British Champion Jonathan Rowson: "Excellent (...) Consistently engaging and instructive."
Elburg Chess Reviews: "I can assure you that this is one of those books that you cannot put down."
Cor Jansen, PZC: "For those interested in chess technique there are brilliant analyses. Lovers of intrigue and tall stories have a lot to enjoy. But the psychology of the power play is not forgotten, either (...) Anand and his helpers will be looking at the analysis with suspicion. The objective outsider wonders why Kramnik and his seconds are putting their cards on the table just now. Is this higher chess psychology?"
GM Peter Heine Nielsen, Skakbladet: "A fascinating read. A close-up by Bareev, who gives an exciting, detailed but also critical report of the matches."
Delaware Chess Newsletter: "A BIG chess book and a lot of fun."
Carl Portman, FOCUS Magazine: "The recommended book of the month. Superb."
John Donaldson: "The reader not only gets 44 well annotated games featuring instructive prose and detailed variations, but also lots of behind-the-scene commentary not only by Bareev but by fellow Russian GM's like Boris Gelfand and Peter Svidler as well as by Kramnik himself (...) Well worth the money: there is months worth of material to read and study."
Steve Goldberg, Scholastic Chess Gateway: "If you have ever wanted to be a fly on the wall observing what takes place 'backstage' with world championship contenders, this is your book."
