Greg Nowak, 78, sits in his apartment in Missoula, MT on October 1, 2025. Nowak is Montana’s only Grandmaster chess player. A self-described “sociable Christian loner,” Nowak spends most days playing chess alone at different coffee shops, teaching students, and studying previous games of other Grandmasters. Although Nowak has no family left, chess itself feels like company and has given his life purpose and control.