Spy's Mate - by Buchanan

Book Synopsis

FOR FANS OF THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT

Set in the late Cold War-era Soviet Union, SPY'S MATE: A NOVEL follows the coming of age of Yasha Basmajian, a young chess prodigy of Armenian origin who rises through the ranks of the Soviet chess establishment with dizzying rapidity. Along the way, however, he must contend with many pitfalls, including operatives who manipulate him, jealous rivals who try to humiliate him, and high officials who threaten him when he asserts his independence, or takes a principled stance.

With help from a renegade coach and a team of anti-establishment grandmasters, Yasha manages to run the gauntlet of two Candidates Tournaments until eventually he faces the sinister, predatory World Chess Champion, Evgeny Volosin, in a match where the stakes are nothing less than life and death.

Review Quotes

A gripping journey into the high-stakes world of Cold War espionage, woven deftly through the world of chess. Skillfully paced and elegantly crafted, Buchanan's storytelling compels you to keep turning pages as easily as tapping your foot to your favorite tune. The novel brilliantly captures the subtle tensions and tactical drama of both spycraft and chess, featuring vivid, three-dimensional characters whose complexities enrich every twist and turn of the narrative. A deeply absorbing read, Spy's Mate is a literary triumph.

--Dr Chris Tilling, Head of Research and Senior Lecturer in New Testament, St Mellitus College, UK

As a chess professional, this book resonated on a deep technical and cultural level. I found myself immersed in the persona of Yasha and captivated by each twist and turn of his life story, empathizing with him as a brother in arms.

--Daniel Fernandez, Chess Grandmaster & author, London, UK.

It unfolds like a game of chess -- so many fronts to watch, yet in the end, the opponent always falls. Truly captivating!

--Tom Piceu, International Chess Master & Coach, Bruges, Belgium.

The life-and-death thrills--and absurdist spills--of world-class chess in the last days of the Soviet Union come roaring to life in Brad Buchanan's Spy's Mate , the spellbinding story of a personal quest that will bend your mind and enchant your heart.

--Mary Mackey, author of the New York Times bestseller A Grand Passion

--Gert Devreese, Journalist De Standaard & author of My Most Memorable Interviews, Belgium

About the Author

Brad Buchanan holds degrees in English Literature from McGill University, the University of Toronto, and Stanford University. He taught British and Postcolonial Literature, as well as Creative Writing, at Sacramento State University (where he also served as English Department Chair) until his retirement in 2016. His poetry, short fiction, and scholarly articles have appeared in more than 200 journals, and he has published 4 book-length collections of poetry. His medical memoir, Living with Graft-Versus-Host-Disease, was published by Armin Lear Press in 2021. Brad Buchanan is a resident of Sacramento, CA.