When the Icelandic Chess Federation made a bid to host the 1972 world title match between Soviet icon Boris Spassky and American challenger Bobby Fischer, many Icelanders were rightly shaking their heads in disbelief. How could their small island country in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with a population of less than 300 thousand people stage such a prestigious event in the first place?
Undeterred and naively optimistic the young President of the Icelandic Chess Federation, Gudmundur Thorarinsson, set to work and to everyone’s astonishment theirs was the winning bid. But that was only the beginning of one of the most amazing stories in chess history...
Bobby Fischer’s demands and whims constantly jeopardised the match. First the American chose not to board his plane in New York, and then he came late for the first game. That game he lost after a silly blunder and the second game he lost because he didn’t turn up in a fight about noisy cameras. But next he won the third game, that was played in a back room, and the rest... is history.
Fifty years on, Gudmundur Thorarinsson has written a tell-all book about ‘The Match of the Century’, crammed with behind-the-scenes stories and improbable twists and turns. Reading his gripping account of probably the most iconic sports contest during the Cold War, you will understand why he prefers to call it ‘The Match of All Time’.
And why reliving this most unlikely adventure he comes to the conclusion: ‘It was not possible to organise this match, nor was it possible to rescue it... but still it was done!’
Gudmundur Thorarinsson is a chess organizer and businessman from Iceland. In 1972, as the chairman of the Icelandic Chess Federation he organized the ‘Match of All Time’, the World Championship Match between the Russian incumbent champion Boris Spassky and the American challenger Bobby Fischer.
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British Chess Magazine (June 2024)
English edition. We also offer a Dutch edition.
For the first time in history, a chess player from North Korea takes part in the North Sea Chess Tournament. She is under pressure to perform, as are her opponents, including a cheating Italian, an Icelandic womaniser, a Tunisian fundamentalist and Dutch talent Christiaan N'Koulou. Inside and outside the arena, the boundaries of the game are sought and transgressed. Even the secret services interfere with the moves on the board. When the American player is found dead in his bathroom on the rest day, chess maecenas Godfried, the sponsor, must intervene to save the tournament at the risk of his own life.
An international literary thriller, The Sponsor is based on the notes that one of the sponsors has been taking behind the scenes of the Hoogovens-Corus-Tata Steel chess tournament for over ten years.
For the chess enthusiast, an appendix contains annotations of the games involved in the story.
Fred Das is an international entrepreneur, property developer and keen chess player. After selling his business he is mainly a full-time father.
Jeroen Terlingen was a trade union journalist, editor at Vrij Nederland and a journalism teacher. He writes books, makes films and teaches courses.
British Chess Magazine (October 2024)
British Chess Magazine (January 2023)
British Chess Magazine (December 2024)
British Chess Magazine (February 2023)
"Chess Duels" shares Yasser Seirawan’s encounters with chess legends, blending game analysis and personal stories. "Lessons with a Grandmaster" and "World’s Most Instructive Amateur Game Book" provide practical insights for improving players, focusing on strategy, psychology, and learning from amateur mistakes to elevate gameplay.
British Chess Magazine (March 2025)
The French Defense has once more become a viable way for Black to meet 1.e4, and against 3.Nc3, Winawer's 3...Bb4 is considered Black's strongest and most combative weapon. The Chiburdanidze Variation, 4.Qd3, allows White to immediately depart from main line theory and take Black onto turf that only White is familiar with.
It was introduced into master play by then Women's World Champion Maia Chiburdanidze in 1985, and it has since found a following among grandmasters such as Jonny Hector, Olexandr Bortnyk, and many other players who prefer original ideas and uncharted territory to theoretical main lines.
British Chess Magazine (June 2023)
British Chess Magazine (June 2025)
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