It is a tale told by a paranoid schizophrenic. While reading this book, you may experience the same chilling sensation you felt when, at the end of Psycho, you can hear Norman Bates thinking that he wouldn't hurt a fly.
Terrence "Tennessee" Greenbecker is an untrustworthy narrator, every bit as "not right in the head" as the character in the Hitchcock film. Except that his weapon of choice is not the knife but fire. He wants to burn down everything in the world unrelated to his self-delusion that he has the playing strength to defeat Magnus Carlsen in a match for the world championship.
As an arsonist, Greenbecker's hero is Guy Fawkes, mastermind of the infamous Gunpowder Plot. And, as the former British chess champion, his hero is Bobby Fischer.
The imaginary events in this book happen on a single weekend in 2018, during the Carlsen-Caruana match in London. Although at times it can be a morbidly depressing read, as Greenbecker's chess career and his personal finances both take a sharp downward turn, The Greenbecker Gambit perks up toward the end while game five of the match is in progress.
