Half a century ago I left a country the red color of which dominated a large portion of the world map. One way or another the fate of almost every single person described in this book is forever linked with that now noneexistent empire. Many of them ended up beyond its borders too. Cultures and traditions and certainly not least of all a Soviet mentality couldnamprsquot have just left them without a trace. Having been transplanted into a different environment they had to play the role of themselves apart from certain corrections with regard to the tastes and customs of a new society. Nevertheless every one of them both those who left the Soviet Union and those who stayed behind were forever linked by one common united phenomenon they all belonged to the Soviet school of chess. ampnbsp This school of chess was born in the 20amprsquos but only began to count its true years starting in 1945 when the representatives of the Soviet Union dominated an American squad in a team match. Led by Mikhail Botvinnik Soviet Grandmasters conquered and ruled the world save for a short Fischer period over the course of that same half century. In chess as well as ballet or music the word ampldquoSovietamprdquo was actually a synonym for the highest quality interpretation of the discipline.ampnbsp The Soviet Union provided unheard of conditions for their players which were the sort of which their colleagues in the West dare not even dream. Grandmasters and even Masters received a regular salary just for their professional qualifications thereby raising the prestige of a chess player to what were unbelievable heights.ampnbsp It was a time when any finish in an international tournament aside from first was almost considered a failure when it came to Soviet players and upon their return to Moscow they had to write an official explanation to the Chess Federation or the Sports Committee.ampnbsp The isolation of the country separated from the rest of the world by an Iron Curtain was another re