Publications

The publications are divided into four subsections:

The following is a list of all publications listed:

Michael Negele, Eva Regina Magacs

Paul Felix Schmidt

A Winning Formula

Dust Jacket

Justin Corfield

Pawns in a Greater Game

The Buenos Aires Chess Olympiad, August – September 1939

  • PublisherCorfield and Company, 2015
  • ISBN978-1876586287
  • Languagesenglish
  • Pages398
  • Formatshardback
  • See alsoPawns in a Greater Game

For a review of the book by Roland Brockman see www.amazon.de/..., he mentions a few drawbacks (the author is obviously no chess expert), but a lot of very positive features. Especially for chess historians it is expected to be a fascinating read.

Juan Sebastián Morgado

Prehistoria del ajedrez argentino 1500 – 1904

Invariantes sociales, personalidades e instituciones

Juan Sebastián Morgado - Prehistoria del ajedrez argentino 1500-1904 - frontcover
Juan Sebastián Morgado - Prehistoria del ajedrez argentino 1500-1904 - frontcover

Stefano Zulian

Prè Lorenzo Busnardo [2nd edition]

La vita di un avventuriero campione di scacchi del Rinascimento

Prè Lorenzo Busnardo; La vita di un avventuriero campione di scacchi nel Rinascimento - front cover
Prè Lorenzo Busnardo; La vita di un avventuriero campione di scacchi nel Rinascimento - front cover

In the News department we announced on 2016-11-08 (Busnardo Biography) the publication of a book on the Italian priest, chess master and adventurer from the Renaissance, Prè Lorenzo Busnardo, from the hand of our member Stefano Zulian. Its title was Prè Lorenzo Busnardo; La vita di un avventuriero campione di scacchi del Rinascimento (120 pages). On 15-02-2017 followed an addendum, which said that a revised version (January 2017) of the synoptical tables, referred to in the book, was available. Finally Stefano Zulian promised : “The author intends to publish a 2nd edition in due time.”.

Well, he kept his word, because recently the second and much enlarged edition of his book has been published under title: Prè Lorenzo Busnardo; La vita di un avventuriero campione di scacchi nel Rinascimento. Progetto “Prè Lorenzo Busnardo”. Ricerca e testo di Stefano Zulian. [2nd and much enlarged edition]. Editrice Artistica Bassanese: Bassano del Grappa 2018; 248 pages, 32cm x 23cm; price € 25,00 plus shipping costs. To avoid bibliographical confusion we draw attention on the difference between the title on the title page, which has (or became ?) “nel” and the title on the cover which has “del”, just as the cover of the first edition. The book can be ordered from Stefano Zulian, email address: .

Looking for Busnardo’s games we found at the very end of the book on pages 246 and 247 also an intriguing reproduction of a game on 24 a move-by-move diagrams, which according to Stefano’s information belong to the first game of p. 244. Also interesting is that we find on p. 237 the oldest description of a 16th century chess master by a direct witness, rendered in modern Italian from papers of the Inquisition and visitation reports of his bishop. Furthermore we find an original letter of Buznardo, written ca. 1559-1560, from Trento. He is remembering the past year in Venice where he was "precettore" (i.e. teacher Latin language) of don Francisco Vargas, the ambassador of Charles V and his son Philips II of Spain. This illustrates the chess historical relations between Italy, Spain and Germany.

After the publication of his book Stefano Zulian is still busy with chess research on field of the Italian Renaissance and asks for help of his fellow members with regard to a small, but very rare book of an anonymous author, he cannot find: Modo facile per intendere il vago, e diletevole giuoco de gli scacchi, composto da un'incognito, per li novitii del giuoco, Venezia, Valentino Mortali, 1674. He will be grateful to everybody who can give him any information about this book.

Amsterdam, 2018-08-23
Bob van de Velde

Prè Lorenzo Busnardo; La vita di un avventuriero campione di scacchi nel Rinascimento - back cover
Prè Lorenzo Busnardo; La vita di un avventuriero campione di scacchi nel Rinascimento - back cover

Vlastimil Fiala, Stanislaw Sierpowski

Proceedings of International Conference of Chess Historians

  • PublisherCaissa 90-Olomouc, 2003
  • ISBN8385213384
  • Languagesenglish
  • Pages286
  • Formatshardback
  • See alsoFiala, Vlastimil

Vlastimil Fiala is a professor of political science – and an absolute phenomenon regarding his diligence in publishing. In the meantime reprints from Olomouc are probably standing on the shelves of all our members. By his compilation "Cologne 1898", the 11th German Chess Congress he has filled a painful gap in the congress books of the "DSB" (German Chess Federation). The publication of "Proceedings of International Conference of Chess Historians" is a further achievement of Vlastik (together with Stanisław Sierpowski), among others are included articles by our members Harald E. Balló, Isaak M. Linder, Tomasz Lissowski, Jean Mennerat, Alessandro Sanvito, Ulrich Schädler and (naturally) Kenneth Whyld – The White-Lasa Papers.

(M.N.)

Jan Kalendovský, Zdeněk Závodný

První mezinarodní šachový turnaj v Praze 1908

Our member Jan Kalendovský has allied himself with another Czech chess historian to fill a long existing gap with this book on the first International Prague Chess Tournament 1908, published exactly 100 years after the event. (Before there was only a Czech book by Kautsky from 1909.) The nicely illustrated work contains 223 (annotated) games, reports of the 19 rounds and a lot of historical material, thus providing an adequate appreciation of that classic tournament where Schlechter and Duras shared first prize, followed by Vidmar and Rubinstein. The reviewers highly recommend the book and praise it with regard to the contents and the high-quality get-up.

Read more:
Page of the publisher (in Czech) Prague 1908 at Wikipedia English reviews by Prof. Nagesh Havanur at Chessville and by John Elburg. Czech reviews by Karel Mokry, Karol Rückschloss, Ivan Hausner and Břetislav Modr.

Godehard Murkisch

Rätselhafte Schachaufgaben

Verzwickte Positionen und und überraschende Lösungen

  • PublisherHeyne Verlag, 1985
  • ISBN3453413938
  • Languagesgerman
  • Pages224
  • Formatspaperback
  • See alsoMurkisch, Godehard

A German publication on the subject "problem chess" undergoing a third revised edition may be nearly considered as a singularity! The attractive paperback is filled with 300 well-chosen tricky problems (1st ed. Munich 1980; 2nd ed. 1982; 3rd ed. 1985, 224 pp.) – time and again you will just like to pick up this small classic. Godehard Murkisch founded his own publishing house in 1999: Nightrider Unlimited.

(R.B.)

Here is a list of the Kuhn(†)/Murkisch series:
nos. 1-30 (jpg-file) / nos. 31-45 (PDF)

Allan G. Savage

Reconciling chess: A Marcel Duchamp sampler

Thinkers’ Press, Inc., Davenport, IA June 1998 ISBN 0-938650-99-8 limited edition of 200 copies
  • PublisherThinkers' Press, 1998
  • ISBN9780938650997
  • Languagesenglish
  • Pages20
  • Formatspaperback
  • See alsoSavage, Allan G.

Only 20 pages contains the "Marcel Duchamp Sampler" by Allan G. Savage which was "prepared specifically for the Chess Festival 1998" in Moline, IL in a limited edition. The booklet includes some short comments on Duchamp’s early chess career, expositions of conjugate (corresponding) squares (sister squares) in pawn endings, of their pre-history as well as the reconciliation of opposition and sister squares, completed by two annotated games of Duchamp. The paper was intended as a small "appetizer" for Allan Savage’s forthcoming book on Duchamp, and we wonder if we can still be curious about this publication!?

(R.B.)

Rob Spaans

Reisgids voor Schaakliefhebbers

  • PublisherSelf-published, 2017
  • Languagesdutch
  • Pages328
  • See alsoSpaans, Rob
  • Description

    This book is some sort of travel guide for chess lovers. It describes more than hundred places where cultural chess motives can be found. Mostly in museums, churches and castles in The Netherlands, Germany and France. Think of extraordinary chess pieces, chess boards, chess tables, chess clocks, chess statues, chess paintings, chess tapestries, chess villages, chess mosaics, chess graves, etcetera, etcetera.

    The book is in an A5 paperback format, has 328 pages, has many (black [&] white) pictures and sells for € 19,95.

    Hopefully the most critical remark will be that the book is available only in Dutch. The title is Reisgids voor Schaakliefhebbers, which translates as "Travel guide for chess lovers".

    For more information contact the author via

    Rob Spaans

Marian Stere

RO - ABC

Romania – A Bibliography of Chess

With this publication from the year 2009 Marian Stere presents a comprehensive bibliography of the Romanian chess literature which - in addition to printed matters - contains other chess related items as well. Numerous illustrations, mostly in color, adorn the volume which was published by Gambit (Bucharest) in a limited edition. More information and impressions give the pdf files linked below.

A review was written by our member Karel Mokry.

(R.B.)

Axel Smith, Fredrik Danelius, Calle Erlandsson

Rolf Martens

schackgeniet, maoisten, motståndsmannen

Axel Smith, Fredrik Danelius and Calle Erlandsson - Rolf Martens- frontcover
Axel Smith, Fredrik Danelius and Calle Erlandsson - Rolf Martens- frontcover

Francisco de Asís Gragera Ledesma, Daniel Gragera Ledesma

Ruy López de Segura

La cara oculta del tablero

Jon Edwards

Sacking the Citadel

The History, Theory and Practice of the Classic Bishop Sacrifice

Russell Enterprises, Inc., 2011 (400 pp.)

The well-known bishop sacrifice on h7, first described in Gioacchino Greco’s games collection from 1619, is the topic of this commendable work. Our US member illustrates the combinational motif by means of more than 300(!) annotated games from 4 centuries and still adds 30 puzzle positions for the reader.

Additional reading matter:
Blurb
Excerpt from the book
Review by John Donaldson
Blog contribution by Dennis Monokroussos
Column in The Guardian (Ronan Bennett [&] Daniel King)
YouTube video - Jon Edwards interviewed by Hanon Russell, and the
Author's profile (by himself).

(R.B., III 2012)

Enrico Cecchelli

Sanremo 1930 - Il torneo dei giganti

  • PublisherEdiscere, 2006
  • ISBN978-8888928265
  • Languagesitalian
  • Pages304
  • Formatspaperback
  • See alsoCecchelli, Enrico

Our Italian chess friend Enrico Cecchelli, MD comes from San Remo and by his book "Sanremo 1930 - Il torneo dei giganti" certainly a youthful dream of his own, namely to erect an adequate monument to this chess gem, came true. It is known that only the small booklet "Das erste italienische Grossturnier, San Remo, 1930; der Rekordsieg Dr. Aljechins" by Chalupetzky/Toth from 1931 existed as a contemporary documentation. Enrico, himself a quite strong "master candidate" has collected the game analyses of those days but also added own discoveries; moreover the nearly 300 pages long book offers quite a lot of unknown photos, biographies of players and commentaries on the rounds.

(M.N.)

The author gave us the following information:

"One of the strongest tournaments ever, in which all the best players of the time took part (with the exception of Lasker and Capablanca ) and which was won by the World Champion Alekhine thanks to an insuperable performance. Sanremo 1930 together with Bled 1931 represents the pinnacle of this Great Champion's career and the ultimate display of his enormous talent. Many games of this tournament, which made Sanremo's name known to the whole world, have made chess history and are still considered (absolute) classics to be carefully studied."

PS (05/11/2007): This book got the Zichichi prize 2007 for the best chess book of the year by an Italian author. Congratulations on this award!

Romano Bellucci

Scacchi e Scienze Applicate

No. 31

Since 1980 the very fine magazine "Scacchi e Scienze Applicate" has appeared at relative irregular intervals, its editor in chief is our friend Romano Bellucci from Venice. It is its aim to show the interrelations between chess and some fields of science. Numerous articles come from Romano’s pen.

(M.N.)

Carlo Alberto Pagni

Scacchi senza quartiere

Incontri per corrispondenza fra circoli nel secolo XIX

  • PublisherCaissa Italia, 2004
  • ISBN978-8888756189
  • Languagesitalian
  • Pages304
  • Formatspaperback
  • See alsoPagni, Carlo Alberto

Prof. Pagni, retired but restless brain surgeon from Turin now living in Milan, is very concerned about the history of correspondence chess, many of his publications show that. The inclusion of his three small works from 1994-1997 in "Scacchi senza Quartiere", published in 2004 by the active company "Caissa Italia editore" seems particularly pleasing to me. In the meantime our friend Romano Bellucci has published a supplement as volume 4 of the "Correspondence Chess Matches between Clubs 1823-1899" (Scacchi e Science Applicate 2006).

(M.N.)

Hans Holländer, Ulrich Schädler

Scacchia Ludus

Studien zur Schachgeschichte - Band 1

  • PublisherEDITIONS feenschach, 2008
  • ISBN9783981212808
  • Pages615
  • Formatshardback
  • See alsoSchädler, Ulrich

Siegfried Schönle

Schach im DP-Lager Landsberg und im Ghetto Terezín / Theresienstadt

Schwarzweiße Wege der Forschung zu Nathan Markowsky und Isidor Schorr

Siegfried Schönle - Schach im DP-Lager Landsberg und im Ghetto Terezin / Teresienstadt - frontcover
Siegfried Schönle - Schach im DP-Lager Landsberg und im Ghetto Terezin / Teresienstadt - frontcover

Siegfried Schönle

Schach in Drucken des Barocks

After the Humanism the central artistic events had moved to the east, to the old German-speaking regions, they appeared in urban cultures such as Riga, Dorpat, Reval, Thorn, Danzig, to cite only a few.

The German writer Günter Grass has given a description of the baroque period in a very concise and clear style in his tale worth reading "Das Treffen in Telgte" (1979). The Polish title of this marvellous story is: "Spotkanie w Telgte", published 1992 in Poland. And in the year of the German first edition the tale was translated into English: "The Meeting at Telgte".

Presented are printed works of the baroque age (1600-1700) dealing with chess. Among them are particularly printed works which are generally not considered as "chess books" such as the Selenus but belong to different literary genres. Chess is related to the following names: Johann Lassenius, Adam Olearius, Luis Garon, Martin Limburger, Georg Philipp Harsdörffer, Christoph Ludwig Dietherr von Anwanden, Julius Wilhelm Zincgref, Laurentius von Schnüffis, Daniel Caspar von Lohenstein, Friedrich Hortleder, Caspar Dornau, Erasmus Francisci, to name only several. Their works frequently deal with moral questions of chess, but the authors of the baroque period also showed an interest in blind chess, living chess, the pawn promotion and other aspects of chess.

Kassel, 11/2007
Siegfried Schönle

Epigram and emblem from: Martin Limburger (1637-1692), Die Betruebte Pegnesis [ill. p. 14, Schach in Drucken des Barocks]

Siegfried Schönle

Schach in Literatur und Kunst

vom Barock bis ins Jahr 2016

  • Release Date2017
  • Languagesgerman
  • Pages510
  • Formatshardback
  • MiscellaneousA4 size, printing in 3 columns
  • See alsoSchönle, Siegfried
  • Attachments schoenle_schach_in_literatur.pdf (46.8 KiB)
  • schoenle_schach_in_literatur_seite6.pdf (363.8 KiB)
  • schoenle_schach_in_literatur_seite7.pdf (338.7 KiB)
  • Description

    4273 Entries with numerous annotations, additions and bibliographical references.
    Limited edition of 20 copies.
    Blue hardcover binding with gilt lettering on front cover and spine.
    Price 85 Euros plus postage.

    The work reflects the result of 25 years of collecting with focus on chess scenes and chess illustrations in German literature, from the baroque period until the year 2016. 10 Titles from the 16th century, about 55 from the 17th, 100 from the 18th and 280 from the 19th century are included.[nbsp] But also many other languages than German are present in the collection.[nbsp] This applies especially to an important topic of the collection: Stefan Zweig’s “Schachnovelle”, a story of which Mr Schönle has tried to collect as many editions in as many languages as possible even if this would only remain a target.[nbsp] For those interested: the entries 3811 to 4372 are Schachnovelle-editions and associated secondary literature.

    About 600 English language works and translations are included.

    Other special topics in the collection are works on the Chess Automaton of Baron von Kempelen (The Turk), crime stories, and art related books and catalogues.[nbsp] Lexicons, bibliographies and other works of reference were gradually added over the years.

    Please have a look at the pictures and some sample pages.