MUJ SACHOVY SVET, David Navara, Prague, 1915, h, mint, 359p. Many photos of  young GMs, including young Czech GM Navara. 51 well-annotated fully annotated fine games. A nice production on good paper. Czech. $27

MIKHAIL BOTVINNIK, A. Soltis, h, mint, Jefferson, NC, 2014.  88 annotated games + biography. 274p.  He was a worthy world champion, but I think his title is a bit besmirched by his managing to evade a challenge by Reshevsky in the years  1947 to 1955.  My guess is that Reshevsky would have won a match of say, 25 games, with Botvinnik in the period 1941 to 1955. His status as a "scientist" is somewhat questionable since he was actually an electrical engineer and his main contributions were there. As he himself once admitted, he was no match for Milan Vidmar in that field. Had he not been World Chess Champion, it is  doubtful that he would ever be mentioned as more than a significant contributor to programming computers to play chess as well as his work on electrical power distribution. The notes are excellent in having insightful references to historical points in the games as well as a "sense of the game". They are not voluminous, but these days one can gain a great deal by using one of the better engines such as Houdini to go over the games. Overall I think this is Soltis's best book so far due to his deep survey of both common and uncommon sources which he details in a separate section. Among the worthwhile facts he discloses is that Euwe  was injured prior to the "Euwe-Kmoch tourney" in Leningrad 1934 which they played in to prepare for the Alekhine-Euwe title match in 1935. This may account for Euwe's comparative failure (+2 =7 -2)  there prior to his winning the title match less than a year later.  He also mentions the Keres problem (whether the Soviet authorities demanded that Keres lose critical encounters with Botvinnik after he took shelter in the USSR after WWII). The final verdict as expressed here is that there probably was no coercion. However, as a Russian once told me when I asked him what he thought of this question, he smiled and said to me that if one never lived in a police state you must be either naive or outright stupid to not be cautious and impose limits on one's success vs. the anointed one.The facts are that Keres had a family, that Botvinnik was a dedicated Communist and that Keres was from a country the USSR had overrun and which detested the Russians. Furthermore Keres was no fool. There did not really have to be an explicit direction to not impede Botvinnik's path to the top.  And as a matter of fact his results suggest just that: two weak losses before Botvinnik's virtual lock on winning the 1948 match tourney followed at the end by a crushing Keres win, and at Budapest 1952, a powerful Keres victory, a tame 19-move draw vs. Keres. In addition, of course, one must admit that for unknown reasons some players seem to have a "hex" on others: Keres had big plus scores against both Tal(+8 - 4 =18) and Korchnoi(+4 -1=12).  $50

EMIL KEMENY - A Life in Chess, J. Hilbert, p, mint, Jefferson, 2013. 341p. 227 games, many annotated. When the author says he "dominated chess in both Philadelphia and Chicago, where he lived between 1893 and early 1906", I strongly disagree since he simply was not in the same league as Pillsbury or Showalter in playing strength —as proven by their records. Feenstra-Kuiper does not even mention him in his books of records for leading players; and his 7- 4 - 4 loss to  Showalter puts him at best into little more than a strong amateur. However, he was indeed a significant organizer and writer... along with Shipley in Philadelphia in that period, though Shipley continued as an important organizer well into the twenties. He also even had a tournament book (Monte Carlo 1903) to his credit. Nevertheless this is a worthwhile book for an interesting player and dedicated organizer. Hilbert's research is excellent, as always. $50

ALBERT BEAUREGARD HODGES - The Man Chess Made, Hilbert & Lahde, p, mint, 2013. Biography plus 340 of his games. 542p.  Hodges was recognized as a strong player... at least in the NY City area... for many years. This book is a fine memorial to a player whose games stretch from roughly 1885 to 1930 with the bulk being in the period 1890 to1915. His chief claim to fame in a playing mode is his score in 13 USA-Great Britain Cable matches (9 out of 13 w/o loss). The authors  research is on the massive scale which truly is amazing. If one looks at Hilbert's overall production of fine books about  the so-called lesser American  masters (Hodges, Kemeny, Shipley, Finn, and Leonard) one gets as good an understanding of American chess history as exists anywhere because most of these established the framework on which the great stars —Pillsbury, Steinitz, Marshall, Capablanca, Alekhine, Kashdan, Fine, Reshevsky...eventually shone.   Organizers and writers such as Shipley and Helms may soon be forgotten, but no wars were ever won without the "grunts" in the trenches.  $35.  b) h, mint, $65.

ARTHUR KAUFMANN - A Chess Biography, 1872-1938. O. G. Urcan & P. M. Braunwarth. Jefferson, 2012. p, mint, 266p. $45.  Although Kaufmann will scarcely be recognized by most since he had no international experience, his record against top notch players such as Schlechter, Reti, Tartakower, and Spielmann, a.o., certainly justify the study of his spirited games and contributions to top-level chess. There are many fine games with good but generally not overwhelming notes. Kaufmann was certainly one of the key Viennese circle of players and analysts who were an important part of chess history in the period of say 1890 to 1930. Excellent research. 

THE CLASSICAL ERA OF MODERN CHESS, P. J. Monte, Jefferson, 2014, h, mint, 594p. $65. This book will not appeal to the average chess player, but like Murray's great work on the History of Chess, it will stand the test of time and will, due to its prodigious scholarship, eventually always be mentioned along with that previous classic. In addition, booksellers who deal in the rare tomes often illustrated and meticulously dissected, which are the foundations of our knowledge of chess in this early period from the 8th and 9th centuries up until the late 1800's will be greatly aided by the discussion of such works as building blocks in our knowledge of the spread of their knowledge and importance in chess history. Much of  Monte's analysis is based on the openings research in the key openings analysis presented in these works. The importance of endgames and their study is also carefully noted. To do a proper review of this book would take several days of intense study; however, the erudition, the care, and the enormous effort which went into it is obvious. It deserves a warm reception.

LEVON ARONIAN, D. Sobiecki, Warsaw, 2014, p, mint, 288p, Polish, 47 very well annotated games plus a section on his combinations. Today Aronian is one of the World's top players.  $34

NIKOLA  PADEVSKI, Stefan Sergiev, Sofia, 2014, Padevski has been one of the top Bulgarian players for a good half century. This 624-page book chronicles his career with some 466 of his best games, many with brief Bulgarian. notes and with many photos. p, mint, $47 (previous price was incorrect.)

BENT LARSEN'S BEST GAMES- Fighting Chess With the Great Dane, Bent Larsen, Alkmaar, 2014, 350p, good notes to great games. "Of the many chess players I have met, Bent is the most original"— Anatoly Karpov. p, mint, $35

JOHANNES ZUKERTORT - ARTIST OF THE CHESSBOARD, J. Adams, Alkmaar, 2014. A reprint of the book I published as a hardback book in an edition of 575 copies. 541p. 319 annotated games and biography. With some second-rate photos. p, mint. Many entertaining games with good notes. $40

FIRST INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR 1950 - FIRST WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP BIRMINGHAM 1951, A. Gillam,  Nottingham, 2014, p, mint, 56p. The 1950 event had Häggquist ifo J. Alexander,m/ Klaeger, Olafsson,...   The 1951 event had Ivkov ifo Barker, Cruz, Harris/Larsen/Nyreen,... Notes to some in both cases. $18

MORE TOURNAMENTS OF 1930, A. Gillam, Nottingham, 2014. p, mint, 80p. THE HAGUE 1929/1930, Fontein/Loman ifo v. d. Bosch/Belingfante,...    SOPOT 1930 F. Fryman/B. Koch ifo Kohn/Rellstab,...    ROTTERDAM 1930, Tartakower ifo Noteboom/Takacs, Landau.    BERLIN 1930, Kashdan ifo Helling, H.Steiner, Sämisch.  STOCKHOLM 1930, E. Andersen ifo Stahlberg,...  THE HAGUE ACHTKAMP 1930, Noteboom ifo Landau, v. d. Bosch...      Notes to some. $18

TOURNAMENTS OF 1931, A. Gillam, Nottingham, 2014, 58p. p, mint, GÖTEBORG 1931, Lundin/ Flohr. Stoltz ifo Stahlberg, Paulson,..    AMSTERDAM 1931, Landau/Euwe ifo Noteboom, Selman. BERLIN 1931, H. Steiner ifo Rellstab/Ahues,...  ROTTERDAM  1931(Aug.), Landau/Euwe ifo Noteboom,...   ROTTERDAM 1931 (Dec.) Landau ifo Colle, Tartakower, Rubinstein.  Notes to some.  $18

MANNHEIM 1914 AND THE INTERNED RUSSIANS, A.J. Gillam, Nottingham, 2014. 525p. h, mint, very nicely bd and printed. This is a very significant book for a number of reasons: It represents a massive research effort due to the small army of collaborators who have dug up a great deal of interesting information about several of the world's top players–Alekhine and Bogoljubov in particular–at a time when the beginning of WWI impacted virtually everything and specifically chess because of the interruption of the Mannheim 1914 tournament and the incarceration of a bevy of fine players who took part in the main section and subsidiary sections where the likes of Bohatyrchuk, Vidmar, Romanovsky, Selesniev, Janowski, and Spielmann, among others, lent prestige to the gathering; plus the opportunity for several additional informal chess events to be run with some of the players taking part who could not get immediate respite from what amounted to uncalled-for jail time due to the complex  political relationships among the warring countries. And also this intense interaction among so many players who would foment the hypermodern style in the following decades was certainly the nucleus for the new style of hypermodernism in overarching chess theory.

    There are hundreds of games, many gleaned from obscure sources and even many games from obscure players. The many photos are also notable, many being  from difficult-to -find sources. Unfortunately—as the author points out— many are very grainy and many common ones could readily stand improvement. This book is so full of new data that one shies away from the difficult analysis of the overall meaning of what it adds, for example, to what the additional Alekhine games mean to our perceptions of his strength in this period, since in the years 1915 to 1920 he never really accounted very well just what he was doing. Numerous similar questions can be asked about Bogoljubov. However,  these questions clearly require much more study and space. This is the data for the analysts to chew on. Perhaps most readers will be more concerned with playing over the hundreds of interesting games.  $72 

LYUBYANSKYI GAMBIT, Sergei Grodzenskyi, Moscow, 2004, h, mint, Russian. 285p. With chapters on chess composition (problems & EG studies), including games by EG composers such as the Kubbels. Some wins by Petrov, Izmailov, etc over more famous players such as Botvinnik. $30

MNE V ZHIZNI VETER DUL VSEGDA V LITSO, N. Yakovlev, St. Petersburg, 2012, small edition of 1000 copies. h, mint. 276 p. With a three-page memorial by Spassky. This is a games collection with 279 of his best games, many with notes for this very strong, but little-known Russian player who competed in several USSR championships. $40

NEDOIGRAL, NEDOLOLYUBIL...MIKHAIL  MUKHIN (1948-1977), A, Vaiser, Moscow, 2013, preface by Anatoly Karpov. 256p. A very strong, but relatively little-known Russian player who was tied at 3-5 behind Tal & Tukmakov in the 40th USSR CH. 303 of his best games with notes to many. $40

PAMYATI YA D. ZINDERA, S. B'istrov, B. Novikov, & V. Tkhorzhevskiy, Leningrad, 2014. A memorial for a strong chess player who was also a Russian Admiral. p, mint, 68p. A very small edition of 150 copies. Nice color photos including one of the Admiral in full formal uniform in color. $22

CHESSBASE COMPLETE, Jon R. Edwards, Milford, 2014. p, mint. Jon R. Edwards, Milford, 2014. p, mint. Russell Enterprises is to be congratulated on doing such a book inasmuch as, in general, directions that come with programs such as Chess Base and Fritz are usually in a font size which requires a magnifying glass to read, and are generally poorly written to boot. $35

TRIUMPH  AND  DESPAIR  - The Final Volume on BOBBY FISCHER, by David and Alessandra De Lucia. A very limited edition of 160 copies, 785 pages, 8.5 x 11-inch format,  fine binding and quality paper. $525 plus shipping. In the United States this will be $20 sent insured. To the rest of the World it will be $525 plus actual shipping via Priority Mail Flat-rate.

The cost of mailing this book to countries outside the US is $61.75 via a flat-rate medium-size box. However as the structure of Priority Mail is, if two copies are sent in an ordinary Priority Mail box, the total postage is $103.05 ($51.53 per book) and for four copies $157.95 ($39.49 per book). Finding others for such a joint purchase is up to the buyers.

    David De Lucia has painstakingly tracked down Fischer material for years and has graciously made public the results of his odyssey. Together with his previous BOBBY FISCHER UNCENSORED he and his daughter have presented the chess world with all Fischer's glory, his agony, and his brutal rawness. Were one to try to access this volume of original Fischer material in the best of libraries—and none have it—it would take more than a week of library searching.  

Among the treasures De Lucia has unearthed on this chess genius but sick individual are:

                                   

           1. The complete 1999 diary written in Fischer's hand (300+ pages);

         2. Eight Fischer annotated games from Herceg Novi 1970 where he 

      butchered the cream of world chess talent;

  3. Seven unrecorded (I believe) training games (1992) between Fischer and Gligoric (6) and Eugene Torre  (1);

  4. Over 100 pages of correspondence between Fischer and Gligoric from 1973-1995;

           5. The Ed Edmondson notes from the early to mid 1970's regarding Fischer telephone conversations   (quite insightful);

  6. 62-page typescript by Fischer elaborating the differences between the Batsford and Simon & Schuster editions of My 60 Memorable Games; 

  7. Two letters written by Fischer to the U.S. consulate while incarcerated in the detention center in Japan;

  8. Numerous other letters, ephemera and memorabilia.

                       

     I believe this book, in depth and content, compared to Bobby Fischer Uncensored is about on the same level of comparison as In Memoriam is to the second edition of A Few Old Friends. The book is chronologically arranged as in BFU with some overlap but the majority of material is new. —David De Lucia

This book has now arrived! It is almost 9 pounds in weight, beautifully bound on fine paper with a treasure trove of Fischeriana. Since I now have only 26 copies, I will give first choice to people who have dealt with me before. Should this consignment not be sold out entirely, the remaining copies will sell later according to supply and demand—meaning that one might have to pay a high premium within a year or so. As with all very small editions, the price is high by ordinary standards, but considering that DeLucia paid princely sums in auctions and from  owners such as Gligorich to get the original documents, that much is just a fact of life.

     Fischer's letters show that beyond question he was hyper-difficult to deal with, that he generally had no consideration for others, that he thought that his arguments pre-empted all other considerations, and that his gutter mouth and imperious attitude usually left little hope for either elemental fairness or compromise. It must be admitted though, that a by-product of his shenanigans was improved playing conditions for tournament players around the world.

     And also one must credit him with the fortitude to defy the power of the Russian bear and show that it was possible to overcome all the odds and by sheer will power and  playing strength to win the World Championship. That he did these things solely for his own interests rather than any altruistic strivings, matters little. He was tough enough to succeed and so he did!

    After he had won the World Title he reneged on his promise to be an active Champion. Instead he fell prey to the demons of paranoia and retribution to his perceived enemies. At the pinnacle of his prowess, with an adoring, expectant, generous public waiting for him to bestride the World in an Alekhine-like fashion strewing pearls of chess art, he sank to the gutter, slathered himself with verbal  and mental waste and destroyed all vestiges of the fondest hopes of his fans. What wondrous gems we have missed!

    But this book is not only about despair, for among other brilliant triumphs it also chronicles his supreme triumph in the rapid transit tournament at Herceg Novi where he won with 19 points to the second-place Tal 4.5 points behind. Eight of his games are given with his notes.

      This is a very special book for a very special chess player.  After reading his own words one need have no doubts of his derangement. There is also plenty of chess material such as his training games with Gligoric and Torre and his corrections and critique of Batsford's changes to their algebraic version of M60MG.  A fascinating but pathetic chronicle, and one which will always have to be studied by any student of Fischer and his mystique.  

                                *********************************************************

BENT LARSEN*, Vol. I, by Bent Larsen, Germany, 2009, Christopher Lutz, Editor. h, mint, 328 pages. In German.  Not just a good book—this is a GREAT BOOK!! Evidently translated from the original Danish. In German. In the period 1964 to about 1970, the young Larsen, a real fighter,  was on par with the greatest, including Fischer. His incisive Viking style was  a breath of fresh air and together with Fischer was a challenge to Russian chess hegemony after WWII. The number of his first places in strong tournament is extraordinary. His notes here are first rate with many interesting opinions and revelations plus some special games added to elucidate his ideas. The diagrams and typography are also excellent. His games with his notes are a joy to play over.  Bent, we shall not see your like again!!  $52   Be aware that a different Larsen book is now available in English. See above .

PROGRAM OF THE INTERNATIONAL CHESS MASTER'S TOURNAMENT - March 15th to April 10th 1924, 10p, with a note in Edward Lasker's hand dated March 12m 1973 (he was the last survivor of that great event) addressed to Mr. Ennis. With the scores neatly written in on the x-table. p, vg, $185.  

MISCELLANEOUS ART ITEMS FROM MANFRED ROESLER, a scrapbook of chess postcards,  with artwork having chess as the central theme. 160 items of which 59 are originals (usually in color , the rest being xeroxes or photo copies of similar items which were not available or were in Roesler's collection. A unique item. $300. 

 

HOSE RAUL' KAPABLANCA, I. & V. Linder, Moscow, 2005, h, mint, 286p, biography, a sampling of his games and many photos. $20

HOSE RAUL' KAPABLANCA - AVTORTRET GENIYA, 2-vol. set, h, mint, vol. I, 1901-1921, 263p. 90 annotated games + brief biography. Vol. II, h, mint, 1922-1939. Games 91 to 162. $75  the set.

CHOIX DES PARTIES LE PLUS REMARQUABLES JOUEES PAUL MORPHY, Jean Preti, Paris, 1859, h, exc, bd in 3/4 leather raised bands, marbled endpapers, scarce.A previous owner has pencilled in very lightly and neatly interesting comments throughout. 192p. Includes a two-page translation into English of Preti's preface.  A fine copy. $475.

 

J. H. BLACKBURNE TO ?.  Xerox of 2-page letter, Jan. 4, 1878. Simpson's Divan. Spells out his terms for a ten-board blindfold exhibition. Also estimates his time for a 10-board blindfold simul.  $10

CHAS. A. GILBERG TO E. B. COOK, JUNE 17, 1875. ALS 1 page + 13 chess problems hand-written on diagrams with his solutions. In Gilberg's beautiful hand. $175

A MODERN SAKK VEZERKÖNYVE, G. Maroczy, Kecskemet (1940), Hungarian. Scarce. 320p. with an inscription by Maroczy to a gentleman in Budapest, Inscribed on July 4, 1940 and with extensive other inscriptions in Hungarian on 5 pages. Plus a newspaper clipping about Maroczy. This is in part a general work plus a collection of Maroczy games. $250

SPECIAL!   THE GAMES OF THE WORLD CORRESPONDENCE CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS 1-10,     T. D. Harding, editor. h, mint, with dust jacket. 246p, large format.Virtually all of the 1000 games played in these events. With light Informant-style notes to most of the games.  The players are World-class postal players who often introduce theoretical innovations in these games. Many of the players are also OTB Grandmasters and International Masters.  $35. With any order from this site for more than $100 (not including postage and Paypal fees and not including the cost of this book) the price of this book is $12.

PAUL MORPHY, G. Maroczy, translated by Robert Sherwood from the 1909 edition published in Germany. Maroczy was the strongest player who ever annotated all of Morphy games and thus to non-German language readers, it should be of special interest, especially since the standards for analytical notes is far higher even in 1909 than were accepted when these games were played.  There are all of Morphy's then-known games analyzed, though a few are game fragments when the full game was not known. This 600-copy printing is the  only printing which will be made. This book will almost surely be O/P within a year. Fewer than 15 copies left. $50.

              

ZÜRICH 1953,   M. Najdorf, Milford. 2012, p, mint. This candidates tourney was one of the strongest ever held with a stellar field of Smyslov ifo  Resehevsky/ Keres/ Petrosian, Najdorf/ Geller, Kotov, ... with a bevy of fine games. Bronstein's book on this event has long been considered one of the classics in chess literature, but Najdorf's two-volume set in Spanish with its different but more intuitive notes was also highly regarded. 392p. $30

 

ADDITIONAL MORE RECENT ITEMS 

Games Collections 

RUUTULAUTA ROIHUAA, J. Norri, Helsingissa, 2012, Finnish. 72p. p, mint, A nice collection of 40 modern Finnish games with notes. 1978-2012.  $33

KAARLE OJANEN - ELÄMÄ JA PELIT, H. Hurme et al, Helsinki, 2009. Finnish. h, mint, 272p. An extremely fine production with 92 of Ojanen's best games with full notes. His wins include one over Paul Keres in 1960. $60

 SHAKKITAKTIIKAN TAIKAA, Y. Rantanen, Helsinki, 2012, Finnish.  p, mint, 76p. A collection of 43 largely tactical wins of Finnish players vs other European players (1968-1978). With notes. $33

 KAUNISTA SHAKKIA, E. Böök I. Kanko & P. Saharinen, Helsinki, 2009, 102p.p, mint,  a games collection for the 

Finnish player Ragnar Krogius (1903-1980) Finnish. $44

MIKHAIL CHIGORIN,  M. Yudovich, Moscow, 1985, Russian, h, exc, 208p. 59 of his best games with notes and biography. $26

GEORGI TRINGOV, S. Sergiev, Sofia, 2012, p, mint, Bulgarian. 547p. Edition: 300 copies. 600 of his games with brief notes to most. A very strong player. $51

VYBRANE PARTIE ROBERTA FISCHERA, Biolek,  Babula et al, r, Czech. Brnenska, 2008. 95p.  New analysis for 94 of Fischer's games. $29. 

 Note that these Finnish books are all beautifully designed  and are on first-rate paper typical of Scandinavian books. So too is the Russian book on St. Petersburg chess history.

1000 EPIZODOV IZ ZHOZNI GROSSMEISTERA, E. Gufeld,  Moscow, 22003, h, mint, 511p. Russian. $23

MEZINARODNI MISTR JINDRICH TRAPL, collective authors. Czechoslovakia, (2012), h, mint, a very nice book with a good selection of this player's games with light notes and many superb photos (many in color). 191p. $32

MIKHAIL KANTARDZHIEV, S. Sergiev, Sofia, 1910, p, mint. 128p. 90 of his best games. plus photos and brief biography. $31

Chess History

SKAKKIA JA KULTUURIA, Saharinen & Böök, Helsinki, 2010, h, mint. A beautiful book with many scarcely-known photos and many fully-annotated games.  Finnish. 411p. This covers largely Scandinavian and especially Finnish chess history from  about 1900 on. $90 

EMINENT VICTORIAN CHESS PLAYERS - TEN BIOGRAPHIES, T. Harding, Jefferson, 2012, p. mint. Gives extensive biographies of ten Victorian chess players of note with extensive references: Evans, Staunton, Löwenthal, Bird, Skipworth, Steinitz, Blackburne, Zukertort, Burn and Gunsberg. Many games are included. Valuable for its many references too. $50

BRADFORD 1888, A. Gillam, Nottingham, 2012, p, mint, 195p. all the known games plus additional notes and details. Gunsberg ifo Mackenzie, von Bardeleben, Mason, Burn, Weiss, Blackburne, Taubenhaus, Bird, Pollock, Thorold,... A good research effort for a strong tourney where the organizers lacked the foresight to see that all the games were preserved. $31

ADOLF ALBIN IN AMERICA, O. Urcan, Jefferson, 2008, h, mint, 278p, an excellent account of Albin¹s sojourn in America from 1893-1895 with many annotated games and biography. $50.

 

EDWARD LASKER TO MOE MOSS, TLS, Apr. 23, 1979, Thanks Moss (of Montreal, Canada) for his help in getting rooms for Miss Karff (his girlfriend) and him during the great Montreal tournament there in 1979 and of his friendship with Gligoric, the tournament schedule, etc. One page. $120.

LIBRO DEL AJEDREZ - DE SUS PROBLEMAS Y SUTILEZASA, Félix  Pareja Casañas, 

Madrid- Granada 1935. Scarce. 500 copies. Originally issued in paperback. Here the  2-volume set bd in 3/4 leather with raised bands and gilt lettering. Very nicely bound. Vol. 1: 257 p + about 230 pages in the original Arabic.  Vol. 2: cxxix + 245p. Based on the Arabic Ms in the British Museum with translation by F. M. Pareja Casañas.  $975

THE GAME OF THE CHESSE: A MORAL TREATISE ON THE DUTIES OF LIFE, The First Book Printed in England by William Caxton in the Year 1474, reprinted in phoenetic spelling, 2nd edition, London, 1872. 78p, h, vg. $125

ALEKHINE LETTERS IN XEROX, whereabouts of originals unknown. a) Alekhine to Brian Harley, Nov.13, 1931, 1p, top part is typewriter and at the bottom in Alekhine's hand. $15. b) Alekhine to Brian Harley, undated, 1p, entirely in Alekhine's hand. "...back from a very successful tour in the U.S. and Canada..." $15. c) Alekhine to Brian Harley, Paris, Sept. 14, 1923, 1p, entirely in Alekhine's hand. $15 d) Alekhine to Brian Harley, Oct. 2, 1923, 2p, with a possibly unknown game from a simul in his Leeds exhibition. In Alekhine's hand. $20. d) Alekhine to Brian Harley, Oct. 6, 1923, 1p. in Alekhine's hand, $20

 

BERLIN 1896 & VIENNA 1896(May - July) & VIENNA (Nov), A. Gillam, p, mint. Von Bardeleben ifo Walbrodt, Mieses, triple rr. Vienna 1896(May-July), Weiss ifo Schlechter, Englisch, Marco, Schwarz. Vienna 1896(Nov), Janowski ifo Schlechter, Mieses, Winawer/Winawer, Marco, Albin. Light notes to some. $16

 

CAPABLANCA'S CHALLENGE TO ALEKHINE FOR A WORLD TITLE MATCH, Berlin, 8 Oct. 1928. 1 page. Plus a reply in French, Paris, 12 Oct, 1929 from Alekhine to Capablanca, 1 page, with an English translation(1 page), in response along with an explanatory 1-page letter Alekhine to Bogoljubow 12th Oct, 1928 in French plus an English translation. plus a 2-page letter in Alekhine's hand to Brian Harley concerning the above letters. Total of 7 pages, all XEROXES, $38 the lot.

 

CHESS EXEMPLIFIED IN ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO GAMES Of the most Celebrated Players, William Greenwell, Leeds (1890), L/N 1061. h, vg, with light notes. 142p. With interesting ads for chess sets, boards, and books in the back. $85

 

CHESS ON THE EDGE, B. Harper & Y. Seirawan, introduction by Lawrence Day. A fine tribute to a very original player, Duncan Suttles. Three volumes, all h, exc, with dust jackets, Montreal, 2007. Each vol. by itself, $40. All three bought at once, $115. Vol. I, xxii + 314p, 100 of Suttles best games with full notes, Vol. II, vi + pp 315-643. 219 more games. Vol. III, vi + pp 645-990. 294 more Suttles games.

 

CHESS RESULTS 1941-1946, Di Felice, Jefferson, 2008, p, mint, 810 tournament x-tables and 80 match results. 366p. $50

 

CHESS RESULTS 1947-1950, Di Felice, Jefferson, 2008, p, mint, 980 tournament X-tables and 155 match results, 485p, $50

 

CHESS RESULTS 1951-1955, Di Felice, Jefferson, 2010, p, mint,1620 tournament X-tables and 144 Match results, 596p, $50

 

CHESS RESULTS 1956-1960, Di Felice, Jefferson, 2010, p, mint,1390 tournament x-tables and 1142 match results, $50

 

COLOR PAINTING REPRODUCTION OF MME REGNAULT DE SAINT JEAN D'ANGELY, see p. 159 of Lawson's Morphy book. She was one of Morphy's social occasion opponents. 13 x 18 cm. $45. b) xerox copy, $3

 

DAS BLINDSPIELEN, J. Mieses, A chess-psychological sketch, Leipzig, 1918, 43p, p, vg, pages browning. With 18 annotated examples. Scarce. $55

 

ILLUSTRIRTE ZEITUNG, Oct. 18, 1862, two pages. p. 289 with large drawing of L. Paulsen playing a blindfold game at the chess congress in Düsseldorf. Max Lange looking on. Page 290 has an account of the Reinische Chess Congress. German. Small tears w/o loss of content at edges.With fold at middle. $40. b) xerox copies of both sides, $12.

 

IMRE KÖNIG, J. Donaldson, Nottingham, 2005. 159p. p, mint, 294 of his games with light notes to some. König was a strong international player who lived at times in Hungary, Austria, Yugoslavia, France England and the US. Reti was his chess teacher. He had wins over Trifunovic, Spielmann, Leonhardt, Grünfeld, and many other strong players. With some good photos. $20

 

KAK FORMIRUETSKYA SHAKMATIST, Karlos Torre, Leningrad, 1926, L/N 1471. The Russian edition of his book concerning his visit to the USSR after the great Moscow 1925 tournament. 42p, p, loose. Scarce. With several of his games with his notes. $65.

 

KAREL OPOCENSKY, Hort, Houska, Kavalek, Matocha, Prague, 2011. h, mint, special numbered edition (99 copies). 158p. Beautifully produced, exc. photos anf fine paper. A biography of this outstanding chess player and author with selected best games. $75. b) regular edition, h, mint, Prague, 2011. $36

 

L-4. GAMES, ETC. MR. E. J. WINTER-WOOD, partly manuscript, partly newspaper clippings pasted in with his handwritten notes. Includes an account of one of Blackburne's simuls with two of Blackburne's games. Also has an account of the opening of the Croydon Chess Club on Oct. 11, 1879 plus clippings from the "Croydon Guardian" problem tourney. Overall mainly chess problems. A unique items. $175.

 

LEKO'S ONE HUNDRED WINS, S. Soloviov, Sofia, 2003, p, mint, 339p. Well annotated top-notch games by today¹s top Hungarian player. $31

 

LOUIS PAULSEN, 7 x 8 cm photo on a page from the book on Anderssen by Gottschall, $5.

 

LOUIS PAULSEN, engraving from a photo by Hesler of Chicago, from the Illustrated London News, 7.5 x 12 cm. original, $10. b) xerox, $2

 

LYUBEN POPOV - IZBRANI PARTII, S. Sergiev, Sofia, 2011, p, mint, 400p, biography + photos, 350 of his best games with Informant-style notes. Bulgarian. One of the strongest Bulgarian players. $37

 

MANCHESTER 1890, A. Gillam, Nottingham, 2011. p, mint, 208p, the most important tournament Gillam has ever published. A strong and large tournament won by Tarrasch without a loss ifo Blackburne, Mackenzie, Bird, Mason, Gunsberg, von Scheve, Tinsley,.. Not all games could be found, but most have extensive notes. $31 

MARGATE 1935 & TALLINN 1935, A. Gillam, Nottingham, 2012. M-35 had Reshevsky ifo Capablanca, Thomas,Klein, Reilly/ Fairhurst, Milner Barry, Menchik/ Mieses. TALLINN had P. Schmidt ifo Keres, Berg/ Danielsson, Böök, Sämisch, Friedemann, Turn & Witte. Notes to most games. Some games could not be found. $17

 

MARGATE 1936 & OSTENDE 1936, A. Gillam, p, mint, Margate: Flohr ifo Capablanca, Stahlberg, Lundin, Tylor,... Ostende 1936: Lundin ifo Grob, Stahlberg, Landau,..Notes to most. $16

 

MARGATE 1937, A. Gillam, Nottingham, 2012. Fine/ Keres ifo Alekhine, Foltys, Milner Barry, Alexander, Menchik, ... Notes to most games. $17.

 

MIKHAIL KANTARDZHIEV, S. Sergiev, Bulgarian, Sofia, 2010, p, mint, 128p, 90 of his best games with Informant-style notes. Biography& photos. $28

 

MODERN ANALYSIS OF THE CHESS OPENINGS, Frank Marshall, Amsterdam, w/o date. h, exc, 82p, L/N 1915. Includes some complete Marshall games with notes. Inscribed by Marshall to Sydney Sharp, dated Jan. 31st, 1913. A nice copy of a scarce book with a good autograph to a many-time Pennsylvania State Champion. $300.

 

MY ONE HUNDRED BEST GAMES, A. Dreev, Sofia, 2007, p, mint, 299p. A two-time World Junior Champion. Well annotated and interesting games. $31

NEW YORK CHESS CELEBRITIES, engraving made from a photo of Marache, Hazeltine. Perrin at the chessboard, New York Clipper, June 14, 1856, original page, Marache is playing a match game vs Perrin with Hazeltine taking down the score. Along with this non-chess: "An ugly bachelor says that everything should be in character. For instance, search-warrants should be printed on "tracing paper" and wedding notices on "fools' cap". Of course the ugly bachelor is very ugly indeed." xerox, $4

 

NICK'S BEST- SELECTED CHESS GAMES OF BRYON NICKOLOFF, L. Day, Montreal, 2007, 295p. p, mint, A very interesting games collection for this brilliant player who died young. Games with full notes plus 21 games w/o notes. $29

 

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• PASADENA 1932 Sherwood, Brandreth, Monson. Long in the making. Part of "The Great Tournaments Series". An Alekhine victory, albeit a shaky one, ahead of Kashdan, Dake/ Reshevsky/ Steiner, Borochow, Bernstein/ Factor/ Fine/ Reinfeld, Araiza, Fink. xviii + 118p. All 54 of the known games out of the 66 played are given with notes. Good photos, especially of Alekhine. Also includes the fascinating story unearthed by Bruce Monson of Lavieve Hines, a very strong young female player who was likely the strongest American female chessplayer up to that time, though almost totally forgotten today. Hardback, acid-free paper, red covers with gilt lettering. First printing of 1000 copies. $42
•  
• ERRATA SHEET FOR PASADENA 1932
• Unfortunarely, through a combination of errors, two serious errors occurred in the last two rounds of the Pasadena 1932 book. I am making available this 6x9 sheet gratis to the buyers known to me.

 

Errata for Pasadena 1932

The game Araiza - Bernstein was played in the last round. Source: Texas Chess Magazine, Nov. 1932, p. 34.

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nbd2 e6 4. e3 Nbd7 5. Ne5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 Nd7 7. f4 f6 8. exf6 Qxf6 9.Nf3 Bc5 10. Bd3 0-0 11. Ng5 g6 12. 0-0 h6 13. Nh3 Kh7 14. Kh1 Qh4 15. Rf3 e5 16. Ng5+ hxg5 17. Rh3 e4 18. Rxh4+ gxh4 19. Be2 Nf6 20. Qe1 h3 21. gxh3 Kg7 22. b4 Be7 23. h4 Rh8 24. Bb2 Be6 Qg3 Kf7 26. Rg1 Rag8 27. Bxf6 Kxf6 28. h5 Bf5 29. Qe1 d4 30. Bc4 Re8 31. Qa1 Rd8 32. Rg5 b5 33. Bb3 Rh6 34. hxg6 Bxg6 35. Rd5 Rxd5 36. Bxd5 c5 37. bxc5 Bxc5 38. exd4 Bd6 39. Qc3 Bxf4 40. Qc6+ Kg5 41. Bxe4 Rxh2+ 42. Kg1 Bxe4 43. Qxe4 Rd2 44. Kf1 b4 45. d5 a5 46. Ke1 Kg4 47. Kf1 Kg3 48. Ke1 Kg4 49. Kf1 Kg3 ½-½

Thus on page 74, the line reading "Bernstein (4 1/2) 1" ... should read: Araiza (3) 1/2 Bernstein (4 1/2) 1/2 Queen's Pawn Game.

On page 73, Game 60: Bernstein -Borochow is given on page 78 mislabeled as "Bernstein – Araiza." It should have appeared as Game 60 in Round 10.

Other corrections:

Page 1: Under round results it should read: "Fine 0 Reshevsky 1 (unknown past move 9)

Page 23: under photos: "Factor", not "Factot" and "Alekhine" , not "Alekihne"

Page 39: Dake - Fine was a French Defense

Page 67: line 8 in text block: "move 38", not "mMove"

It should be noted that with the pairings system used, a player could have two whites or two blacks in succession.

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PHÄNOMEN BLIND-SCHACH, L. Steinkohl,Düsseldorf, 1992, p, mint, 163p, a good discussion of this topic plus some 54 examples with discussion of the game and place. One such interesting one is a game Steinitz- Lord Randolph Churchill (father of Winston). German. $30

 

PRICE SPECIAL BADEN BADEN 1925, Edited by Jimmy Adams. Yorklyn, 1991. Hardback, 382 pages. Notes by Grekov and a host of great annotators including Lasker, Alekhine, Tartakower, Rabinovich, Burn, Grünfeld, Grigoriev, Levenfish, Romanovsky, Sozin, a.o., A tournament book worthy of this great event, which was one of Alekhine's finest performances. Easily one of the best tournament books ever published in English, with a cornucopia of great games from the golden age of hypermodern chess. Also included is a full translation of Alekhine's booklet (originally published in French) on the Theoretical Value of the Openings at Baden Baden 1925, along with surveys of the tournament by Tarrasch, Kmoch, Tartakower, Helms, Goetz, and Kagan. Won by Alekhine ahead of Rubinstein, Sämisch, Bogoljubow, Marshall, Tartakover,... regular mint copy, $60*.NOTE: THIS BOOK IN SHORT SUPPLY—NO LONGER AVAILABLE FROM DEALERS EXCEPT FROM PREVIOUS STOCK.  Two slightly lesser copies, somewhat rubbed cloth on front cover, $36 each.

 

PRINCESS ANNA MURAT, 3.5 x 4.5cm drawing of another of Morphy's "social" opponents. See p. 159 of Lawson's Morphy book. Along with a xerox of the cover of an "OUR FOLDER" issue. $8.

 

PROFESSION: CHESSPLAYER - GRANDMASTER AT WORK, V. Tukmakov, p, mint, Milford, 2012. An extremely interesting games collections by a great Ukrainian player. He played in 14 USSR championships— a very great feat in itself. Offhand I can't think of anyone who played in more. 41 deeply annotated games plus biography. $24

 

PUNCH CHESS CARTOON, Feb 26, 1919, "Deeds that ought to win the V. C." (the Sub-Lieutenant takes the Admiral's Queen", on a stiff board which includes another cartoon along with the famous poem "In Flanders Fields", $15

 

QUELLENSTUDIEN ZUR GESCHICHTE DES SCHACHSPIELS, A. van der Linde, .. 1968, Biblio Verlag reprint. h, exc, 412p. A scholarly work which covers the history and development of chess in various countries in great detail. $140

 

R. KUBBEL TO NANNING, 1p, ALS, Leningrad 25 July, 1934, in German. Concerning Kubbel's prize in a composition competition. $125

 

ROTTERDAM 1933 (Mar) & ROTTERDAM 1933 (July) & AMSTERDAM 1933 & SCHEVENINGEN 1933, J. Postma & A. Gillam, p, mint. Rotterdam (Mar): Spielmann ifo Landau, Muhring, Schenk... Rotterdam (July) Oskam/ Tartakower, Landau,... Amsterdam: Euwe ifo Spielmann, Mulder,... Scheveningen: Flohr ifo Maroczy, Bogojubow,... light notes to some. $16

 

SIX PRACTICAL CHESS OPENINGS, The British Chess Company, Stroud, 1892, 24p. Scarce. perhaps the most interesting feature is a one page verbal description of the Medallion Chessmen with a photo of the pieces and the board. The pieces are short profile for greater ease in playing on ships and trains. Covers reinforced with transparent tape for protection. $50

THE CHESS-PLAYER'S GUIDE TO THE OPENINGS - WITH ALL THE LATEST THEORETICAL DISCOVERIES AND TRAPS IN THE OPENINGS REVEALED, G.H.D. Gossip. London, 1891. 83p. Covers worn at edges and  the signatures need re-sewing. The advertisement for the book THE INSANITY OF GENIUS is quite interesting with regard to its citation of Shakesperare being convicted therein of coming from "neuropathic stock". No mention is apparently made of the stock chessplayers come from!   $16

 

THE ART OF BISGUIER: SELECTED GAMES 1961-2003, Bisguier & Berry, the second volume covering Bisguier¹s career. 100 games with very interesting notes. Bisguier gives details of his opponents careers that give the games more character. 272p. $29.

 

THE ART OF CHESS, James Mason, 2nd ed, London, 1898, a fine copy ion a bright blue binding. A classic general work 423p. $52.

 

THE GAME OF CHESS, a reproduction of the 1474 edition with 23 woodcuts. London, 1855, Vincent Figgins. Large 4to, full blindstamped calf, a fine copy in excellent condition. Raised bands, fresh-looking leather. Small crack on top of back cover. This copy specially bound by Egletons on Fleet Street, London. With bookplate of John Murray of Newstead, Wimbleton Park. Neatly boxed in a fine box. For this work reproduced from Caxton's edition, the type of the original has been carefully imitated by Messrs. Figgins, Type Founders, the cuts traced from the copy in the British Museum, and the paper expressly made with reed and water-marks imitated from Caxton's paper. Includes a list of works ascribed to Caxton by Charles Knight; list of places where printing was practiced up to 1474, and remarks by Vincent Figgins. $1050.

 

THE GREATEST EVER CHESS TRICKS AND TRAPS, G. Lane, London, 2008, p, mint, arranged by openings. Good stuff to have up your sleeve in tournaments. 235p. $25

 

THEORETISCH-PRACTISCHE ANWEISUNG DREISCHACHSPIEL nebst einem zu diesem neuen Spielen gehörigen Dreischachbrett, Walter Tesche, Wien, 1843, Verlag von Pfautsch & Comp. with two fold-out diagrams (the first in two colors). An early book on this variant for three players with rules and example games. 171p + index and errata list. h, vg, stiff boards. $425

 

TLS, MAX EUWE TO PROF. A. BECKER, May 29, 1978, on the FIDE Stationery, signed simply"Max" (as FIDE President). Euwe and Becker were lifelong friends. 1 page. In German. Concerns his apologies for not seeing Becker during his short stay in Buenos Aires and his difficulties in getting away from Zalungo and Gonzalez. $240.

 

XEROX OF A LETTER BY CAPABLANCA TO MIESES, June 28, 1928, 3 pages, stating his fee for appearing in the upcoming Berlin tournament and his condition that Kostic "shall not play." For some reason Capa could not tolerate Kostic. Whereabouts of original unknown. $15

 

XEROX OF ALEKHINE LETTER, ON CARLTON, AMSTERDAM, HOTEL LETTERHEAD. undated, probably 1934 to 1936, 1p, from context likely concerns one of his matches with Euwe. In his bold hand. $20

 

XEROX OF CAPABLANCA LETTER TO UNKNOWN, Oct. 17, 1913, London, 1p, "Leaving tonight for Paris". $10

 

XEROX OF FRANK MARSHALL INSCRIPTION, at the Marshall Chess Divan, Feb. 22, 1916. In Marhall's hand. $5

 

XEROX OF LETTER, 1p, TARRASCH TO DR. LEWITT,15. VIII.02, Letter + envelope, In German. Whereabouts of original unknown. $10

HANS HEDEWEG'S POSTCARDS: 1) Rubinstein, cartoon-type characterization, ca 1931, $12.   b) Mir Sultan Khan, ca. 1931, $12.