Published by: McFarland
2021 softcover (7x10)
Pages: 477
Bibliographic Info: 54 photos, diagrams, games, bibliography, indexes
pISBN:
978-1-4766-8072-9
eISBN:
978-1-4766-3924-6
The
Publisher’s Notes.
Many
historical chess books focus on individual 19th century masters and tournaments,
yet little is written covering the full scope of competitive chess through the
era. This volume provides a comprehensive overview, with more than a third of
the 300 annotated games analyzed by past masters and checked by powerful
engines. Players such as Max Lange and Cochrane, known to the chess public only
by the name given to a fierce attack or gambit, are brought to life. Fifty
masters are each given their own chapter, with brief biographies, results and
anecdotes and an endgame section for most chapters.
Contents
Acknowledgements, Introduction, Fifty-One chapters, The 19th Century’s Top Ten Tournament Players, The 19th Century’s Top Four Match Player, Bibliography, Opponent’s Index, Annotators Index, Openings Index (names), Openings Index (ECO classification), Index of Endgames, General Index
My overview
I am yet
to read a McFarland chess publication and not enjoy it immensely. They are not
just chess books, they are a historical record of an era, the like of which we shall never
see again. This book is culturally enriching. I believe that in chess – as in
life – you have to know where you have been to know where you are going and to
do that you have to take the time to digest books such as this. One can step
through the magic door and travel back in time to another world, far removed
from modern madness. The test for me is, can the author bring this nostalgic
world to life, or does what he/she offer tend to be rather barren? Additionally, I want to learn something, not just about the games but the characters. I want
to feel a sense of occasion. I want to drown in the history of it all. Smell
the cigar smoke, hear the hubbub around the 19th Century chess club.
So, what about the book?
There
are several things in general to note about the fifty masters profiled in this book. The
anecdotes throughout are splendid and any chess player interested in history cannot
fail to find them of great interest. It surprised me how many were of Polish
descent, and that country certainly produced its fair share of top players.
Also I am always saddened when I read just how young many of these men were
when they died. Harry Nelson Pillsbury was 34 and Rudolf Charousek was only 26
when he succumbed to tuberculosis. Cecil
Valentine De Vere was 29 (Consumption) and Carl August Walbrodt slipped away at
30 again from tuberculosis. It is terribly sad, and one wonders what they might
have achieved given another 20 years of life. The book profiles all of these
players and I do like the simple layout. Each person has an introduction with
background information about them, this includes a photograph/sketch which
helped me to link the man with the story. Then there are some details about when
they died and some notes from their official obituaries – and here the reader
can see how significant the British Chess Magazine was in reporting and
recording such events. The ration of diagrams to text is fine, illustrating key moments.
Many players barely made a living, and actually much like today it was more financially lucrative to give simuls and write about the game than actually play it. There are a few select games for each player and the last section from each player shows a few endgame examples, which I found to be intellectually stimulating and can be used as coaching material today.
When I studied the images of the players, I visualised sitting opposite them. I tried to imagine how they spoke, and what their views on the world were. I loved the way they dressed. Adolf Albin (pictured below) looks like he would be more at home in a mid-west saloon bar. Well, he invented the exciting ‘Albin-Counter Gambit’ (1.d5 d5 2.c5 e5!?) which is akin to a shootout on the chessboard. Yes folks, he looks like the kind of man who would go for that!
Adolf Albin 1848-1920
Now I do have one issue. The author does not use the internationally recognized ELO system to rank/rate the players. Instead, he chooses to use a chess metric called an EDO rating. I have never heard of this before. This is a valuation introduced by one Professor Rod Edward, used for the purpose of ascertaining a player's peak strength. This of course is purely the author’s choice – and not a crime – but I kept wondering as I went through if or how the player’s EDO rating translated to an ELO rating so I could compare it to contemporary players. I am still a bit baffled by it but it by no means a show-stopper.
We all know about the likes of Anderssen, Lasker, Steinitz, Staunton and Morphy but what about other rivals? I was amused to read some of the names of these ghosts of the past. In first place for me, and the gold medal pedestal goes to Lionel Adelberto Bagration Felix Kieseritzky, silver medal is awarded to Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa and the Bronze goes to Curt von Bardeleben. Ooh, aren’t those just marvellous names? Dig in folks and enjoy some of their games, too.
The games
There are some 300 games, which kept me busy. These range from coffee-house encounters to International tournaments and World Championship clashes. It’s true that in those days there was some sub-standard chess played at that level. I am thinking of Staunton - Von der Lasa (Brussels 1853) which went 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Qe2 Bd6 yet to be fair, very strong players these days have played it. I have personally never seen it in any club match, county match or tournament in my life though. Then there is W. Steinitz - Winawer (Vienna 1883) which went 1.e4 e6 2.e5 f6?! I mean come on, really? It is a move, fair enough but not one that even club players would try, I am sure of it.
We also see the crazy games. The 19th Century was a time where men were men, and they essayed the likes of the Vienna and King’s Gambits for fun and lord help any opponent who never accepted the challenge. These rivals were all at it, going for the throat from move one. Max Lange was the one for me – he used to just play open and wild chess. This example from Lange-A. Anderssen Berlin 1851 was typical of some of the swashbuckling chess on show.
One is given to wondering how anyone could even arrive at such a position. It is as if someone has picked up all the pieces and thrown them liberally across the board. You will enjoy many games like this in the book. In other battles we find ‘Imbecile moves’ and marvellous attacking gems, many known to chess players at all levels. Miniatures such as Zukertort - C.V. De Vere from London 1892, and endings such as Bardeleden’s in Dresden 1892 against Albin are just great fun.
I don’t know what the strong player might learn from the games in this book – but let us not forget that these gentlemen did not have the luxury of chess engines as we do today so what we have before us is honest, human chess. There are plenty of tactical shots, especially in the endgame positions to enjoy and learn from at all levels. The reader should be aware that most of the book concentrates on the second half of the 19th Century, because there were no real tournaments or World Championships as such before then.
How was it for me?
I
thoroughly enjoyed it. I am not a chess historian by trade so I cannot account
for the accuracy of everything, but the annotations and anecdotes were taken
from official sources such as newspapers and magazines. I would love to have
seen one of my favourites from the 19th Century in there but he was
obviously not strong enough a player to feature. Arthur Bolland Skipworth
(1830-1898) was one hell of a character – the reader should look him up!
On the subject of what isn’t in the book – and in fairness to the author this won’t have been within the scope, I shall give a shout out for the only female player to be considered amongst the top players in the 19th Century player. Ellen E. Gilbert (née Strong) (April 30, 1837 – February 12, 1900) was dubbed ‘The Queen of chess’ and she was a very strong correspondence player. She was one of the first significant women players in chess history. She allegedly once announced mate in 21 moves and certainly fared well as a woman in a man’s (chess) world. It was said that Steinitz analysed her games.
I was delighted to learn new things in this book. For example, I never realised that the Italian player Serafino Dubois, when in London 1862 had to play by the rules of chess then standardised throughout Europe, except for Italy. He was used to the 15th Century rules which allowed freehand castling, allowing the king to go to g1/h1 and the rook to f1/e1. Castling queenside allowed the king to go to b1/a1 and the rook to b1/c1 or d1. Furthermore en-passant was forbidden. This is just the kind of information I love to digest.
I mentioned the pros – but were there any ‘cons’?
There
are a few typos, but that’s to be expected in such a big tome. It would be easy
to miss the typo ‘Tarrrasch’ (three r's) but at least it shows that I read the book! This
and the EDO system I referred to were all I would mention.
Does the book achieve its aim?
The
author writes that the aim of this book is to give the reader an overview of
competitive chess throughout the 19th Century. There’s a feast of
chess and a feast of information about these players to bring the subject to
life. It is a bit like a chess séance – reaching out to these men down the
decades. It worked for me, and enhanced my appreciation of our beloved game, ergo the book certainly did achieve the aim, for me anyway. It may cost a few pennies, but you will have a lovely resource, for life.
If you want to know who ‘The invincible English Bulldog’ or ‘The Black Death’ were then this is for you. I did not realise that Paul Morphy was born on 22nd June – the date of my wedding anniversary – so I shall raise a glass to him each year. It is a cliché to talk about a labour of love, but this clearly was, written over many years the author can be rightly proud of his work. I believe that it deserves a place on any chess players’ bookshelf.
If you want to start by studying chess and chess players from the past, the author gives the top four players of the 19th Century for match play, ranked according to results against opponents rated 2600 or more. These four are W.Steinitz, P.Morphy, E.Lasker and L.Paulsen. Start with them, and you won’t go far wrong.
Once again, McFarland publishing (and Tony Cullen) have delivered a seriously valuable book which adds value to the historical record of this ancient and epic game.
I must finish with a wonderful quote that reflects the style of writing at the time. A Hungarian newspaper (Pester Lloyd) wrote this of Géza Maróczy…
‘Of chief importance is the manner in which Maroczy (sic) has won his triumphs. At the present time there is unfortunately a method of chess play in vogue which characterizes itself by its colourless, tasteless manifestation of life, by which the game is begun with a closed opening, the pieces are shoved together into a lurking position, the objective point apparently being to create a weak pawn for the opponent, and then very carefully play nothing at all.’
Well, I did tell you that they preferred swashbuckling play, didn’t I?
Who is the author?
Tony
Cullen played chess for the strong London Central YMCA Chess Club and organized
tours playing team matches against strong opposition in various European
cities. He lives in London.
