The Rise and Fall of David Bronstein

First published in Russian in 2014 and written by Genna Sosonko ? widely recognized as the number one writer on the history of Soviet chess ? this is a truly unique book about the life and destiny of the great chess player David Bronstein (1924-2006).  Emerging from a challenging background ? he narrowly escaped the holocaust in WWII, during which he starved, and his father spent seven years in a gulag ? Bronstein faced Botvinnik in the world championship match in 1951 and nearly defeated him. But this ?nearly? inflicted a wound on David so deep that it would not heal for the rest of his life.  Sosonko knew Bronstein well. Their conversations ? many of which have made it into this book ? not only portray the thoughts and character of one of history?s most original grandmasters but also take us back to a time unlike any other in world history. This is not a biography in the traditional sense of the word. Rather, Sosonko?s fascinating book asks eternal questions which don?t have neat and simple answers.  With a foreword to the English edition by Garry Kasparov.