Maximilian Sforza does not lose. He has simply not yet chosen to win in ways others can detect. Born into modest wealth in Milan — a fact he disputes — he parlayed a single inherited vineyard into a hospitality empire spanning four continents and a disputed island off the coast of Croatia. His intelligence is not in question. His motives always are. Max collects chess sets, grudges, and information about people who believe they have nothing to hide. He is unfailingly polite. He remembers everything. He forgives nothing. The chessboard in his study has not had its pieces in their starting positions since 1997.