It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that the Chess History & Literature Society (formerly KWA) announces the passing of our esteemed founding member, author, and publisher, Anthony “Tony” John Gillam, who left us on 15 August 2026 at the age of 83. With his departure, the chess historical community loses an unparalleled titan of archival research, a pioneering spirit in publishing, and a deeply cherished friend.

Widely known to the chess world by the imprint of his lifelong work, The Chess Player, Tony dedicated decades to uncovering the forgotten corners of our game’s history. His monumental output — comprising hundreds of tournament books, rare match records, and meticulously reconstructed cross-tables — stands as an enduring testament to his relentless work ethic and passion for historical truth. He didn't just preserve history; he actively rescued it from oblivion, as seen in his groundbreaking works like Mannheim 1914 and the Interned Russians or his highly acclaimed documentation on Munich 1942. On the occasion when Tony Gillam turned 80 years old, the chess world justly celebrated his vast bibliography, which remains a core part of our Members' Publications.

Here are the presentation slides by Mr Michael Negele.

Lecture given on Friday 28 August 2026 in Copenhagen.

by Herbert Bastian, in collaboration with Michael Negele and Frank Hoffmeister

This year’s annual meeting of the Chess History & Literature Society (CH&LS) took place from 28 to 29 August at Skakkens Hus (House of Chess) in Copenhagen. Following Marostica (Italy, 2022), Belfort (France, 2023), Budapest (Hungary, 2024) and Valencia (Spain, 2025), the organisers finally ventured on the long-overdue trip north. Accordingly, the eight well-chosen, highly interesting talks also had a strong Nordic focus. As in previous years, at least some of them will be published by Jean Olivier Leconte and Wilfried Krebbers on the CH&LS website.

Our new member, Johannes Geppert from Germany, introduces himself in the members area (you must be logged in to read).

New Member: Johannes Geppert

The revised Statutes of the Chess History and Literature Society are now available in the Members’ Section under Documents.

Please note that members must be logged in to access and read the documents.

by Georges Bertola

In 2015, I wrote an article devoted to Alekhine and his controversial course during the Second World War.

The Spanish historian Xavier Juncosa kindly sent me several very interesting documents that shed light on this troubled period.

Among them is a letter dated 22 November 1944, sent by the French consulate in San Sebastián to Jacques Truelle, Minister Plenipotentiary and representative in Spain of the Provisional Government of the French Republic in Madrid.

On Friday 31 July 2026, the Emanuel Lasker Gesellschaft (ELG) and the Max Euwe Centre will hold a special evening in Amsterdam entitled “A Tribute to Chess in the Netherlands – ELG’s chess4europe meets MEC.”

As part of the ELG’s 25^th anniversary celebrations, the Viktor 2026 Award, named after Viktor Korchnoi, will honour four major figures of Dutch chess: Max Euwe, Jan Timman, Gennadi Sosonko and Karel van Delft. Jan Timman, who died earlier this year, will be honoured posthumously.

The programme will begin at 6 p.m. and will include a short presentation by Dr Michael Negele on Lasker in the Netherlands, followed by the award ceremony and an informal gathering.

Anyone wishing to attend should register by email at info@lasker-gesellschaft.de, indicating whether they will be accompanied by family members or other chess enthusiasts.

Juan Carlos Sanz Menéndez has recently published two Spanish-language books that combine chess history, analysis and original graphic design.

His first book, Moscow 1925: A Triangle of Chess, Science and Art, is devoted to one of the most important tournaments of the interwar period. The volume contains 154 photographs, diagrams and other illustrations, together with contemporary articles, historical commentary and analysis of the games.

Modern engine analysis is accessible through QR codes, allowing readers to follow the evolution of the games round by round. The book also looks beyond the tournament itself, examining related subjects such as the film Chess Fever, Dyakov’s psychological study of the participants, and Capablanca’s simultaneous exhibitions in the Soviet Union in 1925.

A detailed statistical section includes progressive scores, game lengths, accuracy percentages, average centipawn losses, inaccuracies and errors. One particularly interesting result confirms Capablanca’s contemporary opinion that Tartakower played with remarkable precision: modern analysis identifies him as the most accurate player in the tournament.

The book is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWSR1G19

Further details and examples of its design can be found on the author’s blog:
https://ajedreztipografia.wordpress.com/2026/04/22/mi-tercer-libro-moscu-1925-un-triangulo-de-ajedrez-ciencia-y-arte/

James "Jimmy" Bernard Adams (February 7^th 1947 - June 6^th, 2026) a British FIDE Master, chess author, and long-time editor of CHESS magazine, passed away on June 6, 2026, at the age of 79 following a long illness.

For me, following our first in-person meeting in June 2007, Jimmy became a humorous friend who always showed great respect for the achievements of fellow enthusiasts, despite his own prominent standing in the field. So I remember with warm feelings his comment to my talk in Norwich (KWA-meeting 2012): "Amazingly, Michael, you are making jokes, even in English language." And our "Chasing the rabbits ..." at the dinner.

The following compilation — which makes no claim to being exhaustive — bears witness to Jimmy's incredible contribution to the chess world.

Robert Hübner: A Biography in Texts, Images, and Documents. With a focus on his estate at the Löberitz Chess Museum. Part I (1948–1991) and Part II (1992–2025)
[Robert Hübner. Eine Biographie in Texten, Bildern und Dokumenten. Mit Blick auf seinen Nachlass im Schachmuseum Löberitz. Teil I (1948-1991) und Teil II (1992-2025)]

Edited by Konrad Reiß in collaboration with Siegfried Schönle, Löberitz/Leipzig 2026, limited edition of 100 copies, Part 1, 396 pages + 10 pages of title pages and endpapers; Part 2, 420 pages + 12 pages of title pages and endpapers.

Blue paperback volumes [245x165], thread-bound.

The Löberitz Chess Museum, its director Konrad Reiß, and his staff were unexpectedly entrusted with a major task pursuant to the will of GM Dr. Robert Hübner (November 6, 1948 – January 4, 2025), as the deceased stipulated the following:

"I bequeath my chess legacy to the Löberitz Chess Museum, directed by Mr. Konrad Reiß."

[„Meine schachliche Hinterlassenschaft vermache ich dem Schachmuseum Löberitz, geführt von Herrn Konrad Reiß.“]

This led to the creation of the two-volume biography shown here, based on a very extensive collection of source material.

The tables of contents for the two volumes certainly provide a good impression of this:

Reiss - Robert Huebner - Buch 1 - Inhaltsverzeichnis.pdf (413,2 KiB)
Reiss - Robert Huebner - Buch 2 - Inhaltsverzeichnis.pdf (709,5 KiB)

Please direct questions and orders to:

Konrad Reiß
konradreiss@web.de