Interregnum
Inside the Gruelling 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 finally saw a chance 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.
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 finally saw a chance 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.
| Published By | House of Anansi Press Inc — Apr 21, 2026 |
| Specifications | 224 pages | 6 in x 9 in |
| Keywords | Drive to Survive; Deep Dive Books; Books to Learn Something; Gukesh Dommaraju; Chess Alarm; Grandfather Chess; PogChamps; Ding Liren; R/Chess; Chess for Dummies; Hikaru Nakamura; Lichess; CanLit; Two Players; Gotham Chess; Strategy Game; Hoop Gambit; Sports Documentaries; Chess 101; |
| Written By |
JORDAN HIMELFARB is the Toronto Star’s opinion editor and head of the editorial board. Once a competitive Scrabble player, he has in recent years turned his attention to chess and contract bridge. He lives in Toronto. |
| Written By |
|
JORDAN HIMELFARB is the Toronto Star’s opinion editor and head of the editorial board. Once a competitive Scrabble player, he has in recent years turned his attention to chess and contract bridge. He lives in Toronto. |
“A crackling, irresistible portrait of a game—and the brilliant, eccentric minds remaking it.” —James R. Hansen, author of First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
”“Captures the beauty and torment of human genius in the age of the algorithm.” —James Hamilton Hibbard, author of The Art of Cycling and Racing the Reich