Spy's Mate: A Novel - Brad Buchanan (Author)

 

Author Brad Buchanan’s mother taught him how to play chess when he was just a young boy. Little did she know, chess would one day rescue Buchanan’s mental health during a harrowing battle with T-cell lymphoma that almost claimed his life.

Chess sustained his mind when his body failed, Buchanan explained, and when his mother died in late 2021, the idea for Spy’s Mate — his homage to his mother’s impulse to teach her son the game of chess — was born.

“Chess was not just a training ground for strategic and tactical thinking; it was also a treasure trove of mythic stories, archetypes and memorable personalities, all united in a visually striking contest between opposing forces,” Buchanan reflected. “Chess was Star Wars and John LeCarré Cold War novels all combined into one.” 

In Spy’s Mate, readers are introduced to Yasha, a gifted chess prodigy whose life is upended when his chronically ill mother is hospitalized. Sent to live with an uncle in Armenia, Yasha finds solace — and obsession — in the game of chess and foolishly promises his mother that he will become World Chess Champion before her death.