New Member: Anders Thulin
Our new member, Anders Thulin, introduces himself in the members area (You must be logged in to read).
Tobiblion update
Per Skjoldager has updated the database of the BoC-Project. 79 new descriptions have made it into Tobiblion as well as the data of the 79th Klittich auction. They are now available for members in Tobiblion.
New Member: Kevin O'Connell
Our new member, Kevin O'Connell, introduces himself in the members area (You must be logged in to read).
New Member: John Hartmann
Another new member of the CH&LS, John Hartmann from Omaha (Nebraska, United States) is presented in the member area (You must be logged in to read).
New Member: Carsten Hansen
Our new member, Carsten Hansen, introduces himself in the members area (You must be logged in to read).
100 years of the French Chess Federation
On 20 March a Zoom online conference for interested chess historians will take place on the occasion of "100 years of the French Chess Federation". It is a joint initiative of the CH&LS members Prof. Dr. Frank Hoffmeister (Bruxelles) and Herbert Bastian (Saarbrücken) together with Jean Olivier Leconte (Paris). Partners of the event are the French Chess Federation (FFE) and the German Chess Federation (DSB).
Originally, the conference was to take place locally in Paris, at the same time as a general meeting of the CH&LS. This was prevented by the Corona pandemic. Now all members of the CH&LS are invited to attend the interesting lectures by leading chess historians. Registration is free of charge by sending an email to one of the organisers (see the programme below). About a week before the conference, participants will then receive the access code by email. The Zoom programme is available free of charge on the internet (Zoom software download page) and must be installed on the participant's computer beforehand.
Homage to Yuri Averbakh
This month Yuri Averbakh, our oldest member, celebrated his 99th birthday. On behalf of our Society we send him our warmest congratulations and wish him many years to come in good health!
Yuri Averbakh is not only our oldest member, but also of the Chess Collectors International. Its President, Michael Wiltshire, has received a request from Raymond Keene to share his tribute to Averbakh, published in The Times on February 20th, with all CCI members and other interested parties. It was the former President of the CCI, Thomas Thomsen, who was so friendly as to send us the link to The Article, where Keene’s panegyric, as he himself called his article, can be found:
https://www.thearticle.com/averbakh-at-99-mens-sana-in-corpore-sano
It goes without saying that we are glad to comply indirectly to Raymond Keene’s request and to give our members the opportunity to take note of his contribution to the celebration of Yuri Averbakh’s birthday.
Bob van de Velde
John Donaldson - Bobby Fischer and his world
Our member and temporary deputy chairman John Donaldson has published his third book on Bobby Fischer:
Bobby Fischer and his world - The man, the player, the riddle, and the colorful characters who surrounded him.
Includes 99 annotated games
Los Angeles: Siles Press, © 2020; xx + 664 pp.
ISBN 9781890085193
This real magnum opus is John Donaldson’s third book on Fischer after his A Legend on the road: Bobby Fischer’s 1964 simul tour (1994) and, with co-author Eric Tangborn, The unknown Bobby Fischer (1999). So it is – in terms of soccer – also his hattrick on the 11th world champion.
Already at first glance we see that the work is the result of his chess life long preoccupation with all aspects of Fischer’s chess life. At the same time, browsing the almost 700 pages is enough to understand that the author documents more or less ‘en passant’ important parts of the American chess history of the second part of the 20th century. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future the register of his book (pp. 633-644) will be also used by historians as a kind of encyclopedic reference work. If ever the ‘definitive’ biography of Bobby Fischer will be written, here the biographer finds an essential part of its foundation.
[Update 2020-12-30] John has sent us following reactions in response to some of our remarks regarding his book:
“Like many players of my generation I started playing as a result of the Fischer - Spassky World Championship match. While I never saw Fischer play or had the opportunity to meet him many of my friends did. Their stories of Bobby, often at odds with accounts of him in the main stream media, piqued my interest. Of course I was always interested in his games and what he wrote. My fascination with Bobby only increased after I wrote two small books on him roughly twenty years ago (A Legend on the Road and The Unknown Bobby Fischer).
Marten Coerts - Meester in het schaken, grootmeester in het uitgeven
In Holland, a biography on the chess publisher, journalist, writer and player Wim Andriessen has been published. Andriessen was an independent person in the Dutch chess scene, who as publisher of the magazine Schaakbulletin (Chess Bulletin) gave room to other voices than heard in circles of the Dutch chess establishment. As he was probably rather unknown abroad and because the biography has been written in Dutch, we requested from the author Marten Coerts, a former member of our Society, a short introduction of the biographee.
Bob van de Velde
Book about publisher, chess player and chess writer Wim Andriessen
Three and a half years after he passed away, the publication of Wim Andriessen - Meester in het schaken, grootmeester in het uitgeven (Master in Chess, grandmaster in publishing) is a fact.
This book describes the personal and work life of Wilhelm Fredrik (Wim) Andriessen (1938-2017), publisher of chess books and magazines, chess player and chess writer. In the Netherlands Wim Andriessen was a well-known person. When he died a lot of Dutch newspapers wrote obituaries in their weekly chess columns.
Read more … Marten Coerts - Meester in het schaken, grootmeester in het uitgeven
Chess Auction - Antiquariat A. Klittich-Pfankuch 21st November 2020
by Michael Clapham
The auction house Antiquariat A. Klittich-Pfankuch held its bi-annual chess auction last week with many rare and important books, manuscripts and other collectable items going under the hammer. Recent auctions in Braunschweig have included many rare items from the library of the late Lothar Schmid and again, some of the choicest items came from this source.
Approximately 750 lots of books included the following Schachraritäten:
- An Inquiry into the Antient Greek Game, supposed to have been invented by Palamedes..., by James Christie, London 1801 which sold for €1,200;
- the first printing of the first edition of Philidor's L'Analyze des Echecs, London 1749 - €1,600; and a later printing in the same year - €950
Read more … Chess Auction - Antiquariat A. Klittich-Pfankuch 21st November 2020