A gripping narrative of the 1972 Reykjavik World Chess Championship that frames the match as a Cold War showdown, tracing the rise of an eccentric American genius and his clash with the imposing Soviet champion; the book interweaves detailed game play, psychological portraiture, backstage negotiations and political intrigue to show how one sporting contest captured global attention, reshaped public perceptions of chess and marked the beginning of a tragic, obsessive decline.