Interregnum: Inside the Grueling and Glamorous Battle to Become the Next King of Chess

A riveting chronicle of the battle for chess supremacy and the brilliant, eccentric, extremely online grandmasters changing an ancient game.

Every elite chess player dreams of becoming world champion, of wearing the wreath and going down in history. Yet for many of today's top grandmasters, that dream long seemed out of reach: Norwegian juggernaut Magnus Carlsen was just too good. So when Carlsen announced he wouldn't defend his world title for a fifth time, the rest of the best saw a chance finally to sit on the throne.

Interregnum follows these brilliant and often eccentric minds around the world as they vie to become world chess champion. It’s a story of millennial greats whose time is running out. Of teenaged prodigies who refuse to wait their turn. Of triumph and heartbreak, aspiration and anxiety. Of an ancient sport experiencing a remarkable resurgence and of the extremely online enfants terribles changing the game.

Part sports chronicle, part paean, part character study, Interregnum offers something for both the chess-obsessed and the chess-curious as well as anyone who enjoys a riveting tale of struggle in sport or triumph of the intellect.

About the Author :
Jordan Himelfarb is a managing editor of the Toronto Star, one of North America’s largest newspapers, where he oversees political, national, foreign and opinion coverage. He was previously the Star’s politics editor and, before that, deputy editorial page editor. Himelfarb has been nominated three times for a National Newspaper Award, the highest honour in Canadian journalism, twice for his writing and once for his editing. Before coming to the Star, he was co-editor of Said the Gramophone, one of Time Magazine’s top blogs of 2009, and co-editor of the book Tax is Not a Four-Letter Word. Once a competitive Scrabble player, he has in recent years turned his obsessive attention to chess and contract bridge.

Review :
"A fascinating and deeply human look at the battle to reach the pinnacle of chess. Himelfarb masterfully captures the drama and the grueling ambition that drives the world's greatest players. An essential read for any fan of sport and competition." "A fascinating and deeply human look at the battle to reach the pinnacle of chess. Himelfarb masterfully captures the drama and the grueling ambition that drives the world's greatest players. An essential read for any fan of sport and competition." "Interregnum is a beautifully written chronicle of the modern quest to become world chess champion. With rare access and deep empathy, Himelfarb captures the inner lives of today’s elite chess players, their diverse backstories, glamorous lifestyles and rigorous training methods. His honest, heartfelt reporting on the international chess tour can’t help but make readers feel more passionate about their own goals and ambitions in life." “For chess fans, Interregnum is a gripping account of the lead-up and conclusion to the 2024 World Championship, one of the most exciting and consequential in the history of chess. For everybody else, it’s a portrait of how the forces reshaping the world—artificial intelligence, celebrity culture, geopolitical insanity—can throw even the oldest game in the world into turmoil." “A masterful work of literary reportage, Interregnum captures the beauty and torment of human genius in the age of the algorithm. With a novelist’s eye and a philosopher’s insight, Himelfarb skillfully brings us into the lives and minds of the world’s greatest chess players with insight and empathy—haunted prodigies and reluctant champions—for whom victory offers no peace. Moving from Soviet discipline to digital obsession, from Carlsen’s cold supremacy to Nepomniachtchi’s tragic brilliance, this is not just the story of chess at its highest level, but of the human struggle for meaning, mastery, and grace in an era defined by machines. It is simply spellbinding.” "A crackling, irresistible portrait of a game—and the brilliant, eccentric minds remaking it. Whether you live and breathe chess or are simply drawn to high-stakes struggle and larger-than-life personalities, Interregnum delivers a thrilling, deeply humane look at what it takes to rule the chess world."