From London to Elista

Part 1: Overthrow of a Colossus: London 2000, Part 2: Photo Finish in Brissago: 2004, Part 3: Big Brother in Chess City: Elista 2006

An extraordinary account of the main battles in the life of Vladimir Kramnik, a World Champion and a Samurai, in Bareev's words.

From London to Elista gives a fascinating look behind the scenes of top-level chess. It provides superb analysis of all the games by Bareev, but it does much more.

In Socrates-style dialogues, Bareev and co-author Ilya Levitov reveal everything about the preparation, the progress and the aftermath, about the secret strategy and the brutal stress of the three battles.

This rich book is indispensable for anyone who wants to know what makes top grandmasters tick. It is written from the horse's mouth, and it is full of honesty, irony, history, wit, anger, wisdom, and even poetry. With many photographs.