“Chess has never been more popular, but its ugly side has also never been more exposed.”
Search results
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Not-Quite-Redemption of South Africa’s Infamous Ultra-Marathon Cheats
In 1999, twin brothers in South Africa cheated in the Comrades, an ultra-marathon. They did it by swapping clothes in a portable toilet halfway through the race. Their actions stunned the country, and their names became synonymous with deceit. But why did they do it? It’s hard, sometimes, not to read everything that happens in […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Disaster at 18,200 Feet
The U.S. has seen an increase in National Parks visitors in recent years, as well as an outdoor climbing boom. At Denali National Park, that also means a surge in less experienced climbers: “more summit chasers, fewer wilderness seekers.” In this story for Insider, Kelsey Vlamis recounts the experience of four climbers attempting to summit […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Billionaires Like Elon Musk Want to Save Civilization By Having Tons of Genetically Superior Kids.
“Inside the movement to take ‘control of human evolution.'”
Posted inNewsletter
Strong Mothers, Boundless Lives, and the Week’s Top 5
We connect in such curious ways; thus are we transformed.
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring stories from Margaret Talbot, Wiam El-Tamami, Virginia Heffernan, Dave Denison, and Meilan Solly.
Posted inNewsletter
A Friend Named Arthur and The Week’s Top 5
“But now I like to imagine him in Paris, sitting at a café, drinking an espresso, his notebook open, full of notes and poetry. It’s easy to picture in my mind. He’d look perfect there.” Four years ago, Kevin Sampsell lost his friend Arthur to suicide. He started writing about him three years ago—but the […]
Posted inNewsletter
A Hackers Reading List and Our Top 5
“Despite endless warnings highlighting the dangers of the digital world, there is a growing acceptance that, in return for the speed and convenience of the internet, we must relinquish a little of our privacy.” In the ’80s, “hacking” wasn’t a familiar concept to most moviegoers. Do you remember watching WarGames for the first time? The […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Secrets of the Christmas Trade
“Turf wars. Protection money. Scientology. And my boss, a man who’s half-convinced he really is Santa.”
Posted inNonfiction
Best Of 2023: Features
At the time of this writing, Longreads editors have created nearly 650 recommendations in 2023, and just about every one of them can be considered a feature. However, you’ll find that the stories contained herein are features in the classic sense: marriages of deep reporting and indelible prose. Some are light, others emotionally taxing. Their […]
