Checkmate Review: Inside the Magnus Carlsen–Hans Niemann Scandal That Rocked the Chess World

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By BOOK DESK

A review of Ben Mezrich’s Checkmate, the true story of the Magnus Carlsen–Hans Niemann chess cheating scandal that rocked the chess world.

June 2026: Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess is Ben Mezrich’s nonfiction account of the 2022 cheating controversy between world champion Magnus Carlsen and American teenage grandmaster Hans Niemann. Mezrich, known for The Accidental Billionaires and Bringing Down the House, turns his signature cinematic style toward the chess world, chronicling the upset at the Sinquefield Cup, the explosive accusations that followed, and the billion-dollar rise of Chess.com as the platform thrust into the role of investigator and referee.

What the Book Covers

The narrative opens with the now-infamous moment that ignited the scandal: nineteen-year-old Niemann’s defeat of Carlsen at a high-profile, in-person tournament. Mezrich traces the two players’ divergent paths to the top, contrasting Carlsen’s rise to youngest-ever grandmaster status, supported by a dedicated father, with Niemann’s more isolated and combative ascent.

The book also widens its lens to the business side of the sport, following how Chess.com grew from a scrappy startup once dismissed by investor Peter Thiel into a billion-dollar company that found itself at the center of the controversy.

Critical Reception

Major US outlets have offered a mixed but largely engaged response to the book.

Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, praising it as “an epic, swirling melodrama of hubris, money, and tech.”

The Wall Street Journal highlighted Mezrich’s storytelling craft, noting that he knows how to write a scene, build character, and construct a fast-moving read, and that his thorough reporting gives the book an intimate, page-turning quality.

The review was not without reservations, however, observing that the book sometimes reads more like a screenplay than traditional journalism, and that Mezrich’s lack of deep chess expertise occasionally leads him astray when explaining specific games.

Ultimately, the same review concluded that the central mystery of what actually happened remains unresolved, leaving the story feeling padded, repetitive, and short of a satisfying answer by its close.

Kirkus Reviews struck a similarly two-sided note, calling the book a “gaming story with lots of drama but needing more gravitas.” The review acknowledged that Mezrich’s research is thorough and includes entertaining digressions into the mechanics of chess cheating, while also critiquing the author for overplaying the drama by casting Carlsen as the honourable hero and Niemann as the unruly antagonist, and for leaning on stylistic gimmicks like an unrelated chapter built around Beatles lyrics.

Booklist was more straightforwardly positive, describing the book as an enticing and entertaining account of competing egos battling for supremacy in a centuries-old game.

Vanity Fair called it “the best black and white drama this side of Chess on Broadway.”

Bookreporter.com praised Mezrich’s ability to capture the human dimension of elite competition, writing that he illuminates the intellectual and psychological demands of top-level chess as well as anyone could ask, within a propulsive narrative.

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Reader Reactions

Early reader response on Goodreads has been largely enthusiastic. One reviewer called it a fascinating and comprehensive investigation into chess’s biggest scandal, well-written, fast-paced, and meticulously researched, with all sides fairly represented.

Another noted that the book pulled them in from the first page with momentum that never let up, opening on the moment Niemann defeated the player long considered the greatest of all time.

Behind the Book

In a piece written for Katie Couric Media, Mezrich described how he stumbled onto the story through a random Google search on a quiet Wednesday morning, which led him to the St. Louis tournament, the stunning upset, and the cheating accusation that sent shockwaves through the chess world.

He has also said the project quickly attracted Hollywood attention, noting that he sold the film rights to Nathan Fielder, Emma Stone, and A24 within a week of pitching the story.

Should You Read It?

Checkmate will likely appeal most to readers who enjoyed Mezrich’s earlier tech-and-scandal books, like The Antisocial Network or Breaking Twitter, and to anyone who followed the real-time drama of the Niemann-Carlsen controversy as it unfolded online in 2022.

Readers expecting deep chess analysis or a definitive resolution to the central mystery may come away wanting more, but as a fast-paced, character-driven account of ambition and scandal, it largely delivers on Mezrich’s reputation for cinematic nonfiction.

Book Details

Title: Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess

Author: Ben Mezrich

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group)

Subject: The 2022 Magnus Carlsen–Hans Niemann chess cheating scanda

FAQs:

What is Checkmate by Ben Mezrich about?

It’s a nonfiction account of the 2022 chess cheating scandal between world champion Magnus Carlsen and American grandmaster Hans Niemann, and the fallout that followed across the chess world and Chess.com.

Is Checkmate by Ben Mezrich worth reading?

Critics are split: outlets like Publishers Weekly and Booklist praised its entertainment value, while The Wall Street Journal and Kirkus Reviews noted it favours drama over rigor and leaves the central mystery unresolved.

Is Checkmate being made into a movie?

Yes, according to the author, the film rights were sold to Nathan Fielder, Emma Stone, and A24.

Who else has reviewed Checkmate?

US reviews have come from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, The Wall Street Journal, Booklist, Vanity Fair, and Bookreporter.com.