Grandmaster

Born thousands of miles apart under the magical sign of the gold coiled serpent, Justin Gilead and Alexander Zharkov are destined to fight one another throughout their lives in a quest for ultimate power. As young boys, rooks and pawns were their weapons of choice. Decades later, they employ far more dangerous means of destruction. Justin has become a master spy; Alexander, the ruthless head of a secret agency. Each is the possessor of an extraordinary intellect and legendary skills. Their paths will cross once more as they fight together against a terrifying evil. But ultimately they must fight to destroy the other. There can only be one Grandmaster. An Edgar Allan Poe Award-winning tale finds a genius American spy in a deadly rivalry against a master strategist, a competition that begins when they meet at the age of ten during a pivotal chess championship and escalates during their relentless pursuit of the Grandmaster title.