Siluetas rusas: nueva edición ampliada

This Russian Silhouettes: New Enlarged Edition is Genna Sosonko’s acclaimed chess book about the people and atmosphere of Soviet chess, told through portraits and essays that place the game in its historical and cultural setting.

Sosonko writes from both sides of that world. He knew Soviet chess first-hand, then looked back on it with distance after leaving Leningrad for the Netherlands in 1972. That perspective gives the book its strength: it combines personal memory, historical context and sharply drawn portraits of the figures who helped shape Soviet chess.

What the book covers

The focus is on chess in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, when the game was treated not only as a sport but also as part of politics and public life. Sosonko shows how leading masters, beginning with Mikhail Botvinnik, came to stand for Soviet achievement, while also paying attention to their personalities, weaknesses, ambitions and place within a system that no longer exists.

This new enlarged edition presents a modern classic of chess literature in expanded form. It will appeal to readers interested in chess history, biographies of grandmasters and the wider cultural background of Soviet chess.

Included in this edition

The book brings together portraits and essays on figures including:

• A Vanished Age
• My Misha - Mikhail Tal
• A Journey to Immortality - Mikhail Botvinnik
• “I Must Work, I Most Work” - Lev Polugaevsky
• The Chess King of Odessa - Efim Geller
• In a Silent Way - Paul Keres
• I Knew Capablanca...
• A Great Teacher Inspires - Vladimir Zak
• “You Ask the Questions” - Seymon Furman
• The Maestro - Alexander Koblenz
• The Jump - Alvis Vitolins
• The Summing Up - Grigory Levenfish

It is also a thoughtful gift for an advanced chess player, coach or collector of chess literature. Russian Silhouettes was shortlisted for the BCF Book-of-the-Year Award.

Key details

• Product type: chess book
• Author: Genna Sosonko
• Edition: new enlarged edition
• Subject: people and atmosphere of Soviet chess
• Content type: portraits and essays
• Historical focus: chess in the Soviet Union and the Cold War era
• Recognition: shortlisted for the BCF Book-of-the-Year Award