A Conversation with Ben Mezrich

We are absolutely thrilled to share this Q&A with the brilliant Ben Mezrich, author of the gripping new release, Checkmate. Known for uncovering fascinating true stories that inevitably become massive movies like The Social Network and 21, Ben dives straight into the intense, high-stakes world of competitive chess for his latest work. We had the privilege of asking him all about the upcoming film adaptation, his personal writing habits, and, naturally, the perfect drink and snack to pair with the book for the ultimate Booxies reading experience. Grab your favourite beverage, settle in, and enjoy this fantastic conversation.

 1.      For our readers who haven’t picked up the book yet. Can you describe your new book Checkmate (your elevator pitch)?

[BM] Sure! Checkmate is the true story of the biggest cheating scandal in the history of Chess. Magnus Carlsen, the greatest player in the world, the ‘mozart of chess’, sat down at the Sinquefield Cup- the most prestigious American tournament- against a 19 year old kid, Hans Niemann, who was basically known as ‘the bad boy of chess’- a hotel trashing, profanity shouting streamer who wasn’t anywhere near Magnus’s level. Somehow, Hans destroyed Magnus- and after the game, Magnus accused him of cheating. The story only got messier from there. Chess.com, the billion dollar business at the heart of modern chess, was about to buy Magnus’ company and make him the face of the game- and they decided to investigate Hans, eventually releasing a report that led to Hans suing them for 100 million dollars

2.      Do you play chess yourself, and did you get to watch any of these intense games in person?

 [BM] I play chess, but not well. I did get to follow the main characters around, and ended up watching the rematch, in person, in Paris, when Magnus and Hans faced again two years after the cheating scandal.  

3.      We’d love to hear more about the potential film adaptation! Is it definitely happening, and is there any news on who might play Hans and Magnus? Do you have a dream cast in mind?

 [BM] Yes, the film is in development from A24 (the wonderful studio making so many great movies right now), and is being made by Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone.

4.      You always find such fascinating ideas to write about. Can you give us a hint about what you're starting to work on next? Was the Neuralink a teaser for the next book?

 [BM] I love neuralink as a story, but my next book is called The Last Orbit, and it’s about a real asteroid that has a small potential chance of striking a city on Earth in a few years. It’s all about what NASA and the world space agencies intend to do, if indeed there is a city killer asteroid threat. I’m deep inside nasa, riding along with scientists building our planetary defense strategies. 

5.      If you were a chess piece, which one would you choose to be?

[BM} Hah, definitely a knight. They are so damn tricky. But really, I’m more like a rook. It’s such a simple life, being a rook. Up and down, back and forth. No thinking involved. 

6.      Since we are all about creating the perfect reading experience at Booxies, what drink or snack would you say pairs perfectly with reading Checkmate?

 [BM] Oh man, when I used to drink, my drink of choice was a good scotch, or a jack daniel’s and diet coke. Now, I’d definitely go for an ice cream sundae. But maybe that’s messy for reading. I like to sit and read in a café while eating French fries. Is that strange? My eating habits are not good. 

7.      What is a book you’ve read recently that you simply couldn’t put down?

 [BM] Project Hail Mary is a fantastic book. I’ve read it twice, and loved the movie. I’m really a big fan of books that turn into good movies. There’s such magic in a story that can live both on the page and on the screen. 

8.      Are you a "write in a busy cafe" author or a "write in complete silence" author?

[BM] Neither- I write in my office, but with the shades drawn and often loud music playing. I can’t have other people around, but I need noise, and sometimes flashing lights, and sometimes even a tv show or a movie playing. I need to be barraged with noise. 

9.      Because so many of your books have become massive movies (The Social Network, 21), do you naturally visualise scenes as a movie while you're writing the first draft?

 [BM] Don’t forget Dumb Money! Did that come out in Australia? It was such a fun movie. Catch it on streaming if you haven’t yet seen it. I write books to become movies; I sell the movie or tv rights even before I sell the book rights, so I’m writing the book to be a movie. I see all the scenes cinematically, I imagine what they will look like with actors acting them out. Every thing I write is supposed to become a movie or a tv show. It doesn’t always work out, but that’s the plan each time. 

-------

A massive thank you again to Ben for taking the time to chat with us. If this Q&A has you intrigued, you'll understand exactly why Checkmate was our non-fiction book of the month for September! We had so much fun sneaking this brilliant read into our mystery booxies, and seeing everyone's reactions as they unboxed it has been the absolute best. You can still get your September Mystery Booxies until 14th of Sep (unless sold out prior) but if you missed out on September's mystery box, don't worry, you can still grab a copy and build your own perfect reading experience to go with it.