"Grandmaster Soltis is one of the best chess players and chess game writers. [A] great book.Soltis superbly compares [the four players].207 wonderfully annotated games.most fascinating.the full humanity of each player is revealed. A splendid, interesting, even fascinating book!.highly recommended.

"--; "Soltis doesn't just pick the most familiar games.but rather games that bring something extra to the overall narrative.[McFarland books are of excellent quality, the binding is great and they will last an eternity, no matter how many read-throughs"-- American Chess Magazine ; "I have read many fine biographies of these players, but Soltis' approach brings out something extremely interesting that had not earlier become clear to me.by comparing the players so explicitly to each other and highlighting their interactions with each other, Soltis helps you understand much better the strain and struggles that even these great players faced in chess.Great stuff! .another wonderful book, once again beautifully produced by McFarland! 5 stars."-- New in Chess ; "Anyone interested in any of these players or chess in the Soviet era would do well to pick up Soltis' book"-- Chess Life ; "Arguably the best book Grandmaster Andy Soltis has ever written and considering he is one of the most prolific authors in the history of the game, with close to fifty titles to his name, that is saying something. Soltis does a thorough job throughout, sifting through many sources as evidenced by the numerous footnotes and extensive biography.

a wonderful read that will continually fascinate.highly recommended"--IM John Donaldson; "an excellent narrative history of the trials and tirbulations for these four players.his collection of games is interesting and well annotated.heartily recommended."-- Mind's Eye Press ; "The stories are humorous, enlightening, and entertaining, and brings forth the humanity of the players. This is the soert of biography I know many readers have been waiting for."-- ChessCafe.com .