Twelve stories, two minutes each.

Story 1 · 2 minute read Царь, который не смог расплатиться Награда такая маленькая, что царь рассмеялся, — и такая большая, что всё его царство не смогло её выплатить. Индия, очень древняя легенда Story 2 · 2 minute read Четыре рода войск До того как стать шахматами, игра была чатурангой — и войско на доске было настоящим. Северная Индия, около 1,500 лет назад Story 3 · 2 minute read Стихотворение, которое было конём Поэт спрятал в стихах путь коня — и это самый древний из известных нам. Кашмир, около 1,100 лет назад Story 4 · 2 minute read Советник, который стал королевой Восемьсот лет фигура рядом с королём была самой слабой на доске. А потом кто-то изменил одно правило. Испания и Италия, около 1475 года Story 5 · 3 minute read The champion who trusted his eyes He could not read the chess books. He beat the people who wrote them. Punjab and London, 1929 to 1933 Story 6 · 2 minute read The machine with a man inside It beat emperors at chess. It also had a secret. Vienna, 1770 Story 7 · 2 minute read The machine that counted Two hundred years after the fake, a real machine sat down against the world champion. New York, 1997 Story 8 · 2 minute read Ninety-two ways A question in a chess magazine that mathematicians could not leave alone. Germany, 1848 Story 9 · 2 minute read The first queen of chess She won the first women’s world championship — and then went looking for harder games. London, 1927 Story 10 · 3 minute read Three sisters and an experiment A teacher believed that champions are made, not born. He decided to prove it at home. Budapest, the 1970s and 1980s Story 11 · 2 minute read The clock with two faces Once, a player could think for as long as he liked. Then somebody lost patience. London, 1883 Story 12 · 2 minute read The boy who would not wait At eighteen he became the youngest world chess champion there has ever been. Chennai and Singapore, 2024