Martin Frère Hillyer

Our US member from Ohio presents a very attractive book which makes a valuable contribution to the American chess history of the 19th century. As the author's name may already suggest, he is a descendant (great-great-grandson) of Thomas Frère (1820-1900), so his work also a piece of genealogical research on his own family. For the first time Thomas Frère's contributions to the development of chess in the USA, particularly in New York City, have been completely documented and acknowledged here. Inter alia Frère was a second of Steinitz during his first world championship match against Zukertort, and he was a good friend of the American chess legend Paul Morphy – the first book on Morphy came from his pen.

(R.B., IV 2012)