The games of Mikhail Botvinnik, world chess champion from 1948 to 1963,
have been studied by players around the world for decades. But little
has been written about Botvinnik himself. This book explores his unusual
dual career--as a highly regarded scientist as well as the first truly
professional chess player--as well as his complex relations with Soviet
leaders, including Josef Stalin, his bitter rivalries, and his doomed
effort to create the perfect chess-playing computer program. The book
has more than 85 games, 127 diagrams, twelve photographs, a chronology
of his life and career, a bibliography, an index of openings, an index
of opponents, and a general index.