In "The Duel", Alessandro Bossi and Claudio Brovelli go deep into the lives ofthese two legendary World Champions, who have left their mark in an unforgettable manner on their epoch (the first forty years of the 20th century) and whoremain – in part, due to their very different personalities and relationship withthe game – inimitable examples for all the chess-playing generations to come.The choice to present in parallel the two biographies (in my opinion quite rightlyso), shows clearly and effectively similarities and differences, not only in the styleof play, but also in the approaches to life of the two protagonists.With very precise historical descriptions and presenting the events in chronological order, the authors accompany us on a journey alongside the lives of thesetwo legends of chess. In this fashion the personalities emerge, in many ways antithetical but equally fascinating: Capablanca, friendly and charming in society,precocious, genial and nearly invincible on the chessboard, and Alekhine, whocombined a wonderful talent with a capacity for work, a competitive attitude andan energy which was truly enviable.
