Soviet Outcast: The Life and Games of Grigory Levenfish

GRIGORY LEVENFISH WAS TWICE SOVIET CHAMPION AND DREW A MATCH WITH THE GREAT BOTVINNIK, YET DESPITE HIS SKILLS, HE WAS NEVER A FAVOURED SON OF THE SOVIET UNION. REJECTED FOR SELECTION TO KEY EVENTS AND THE ONLY SOVIET GRANDMASTER TO BE DENIED A STIPEND IN LATER LIFE, LEVENFISH WAS A SOVIET OUTCAST.

Levenfish describes in vivid detail the atmosphere of pre- and post-revolutionary Russia, giving first-hand impressions of some of the most famous names in early-twentieth-century chess, such as La...