Glenn Flear is a respected grandmaster, author and coach. Early in his career, Glenn achieved one of the greatest-ever chess surprises when, as a last minute substitute, he won the London 1986 tournament ahead of a host of famous players. Glenn and Christine married during this event! Christine is a five-time French Women's Champion and their son James, a computer artist, created the illustrations.

"The vast majority of positions were unfamiliar to me, and that's obviously important if we are testing ourselves. The cartoon characters from the cover appeared throughout the book which I – as well as my kids – found appealing. But don't imagine this isn't a serious work: the hardest test positions are as tough as any from Neishtadt." -- Ronan Bennett and GM Daniel King, while adding Tactimania to The Guardian's Book of the Year shortlist