Garry Kasparov's magnificent work is unique in chess literature: the thirteenth world champion reflects on the genius of his twelve predecessors and their opponents in their times, telling the story of the World Chess Championship competition over the past 180 years. Classic games are subjected to Garry Kasparov's meticulous analysis with the help of powerful computers. Many of the previous assessments are changed and the author rewrites the development of chess in the 19th and 20th centuries. This first volume of the 5-book series is dedicated to the "uncrowned kings" and the first four world chess champions: Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine.