Wednesday, September 24, 2014

New McFarland catalog 2014-2015

I received the latest chess catalog from McFarland the other day in the mail, which as always promises much for the lover of chess history.

First off, there is a new biography of Capablanca, due out in the next couple months. And as previously posted on this blog, there is biography of Vera Menchik due out as well. W. H. K. Pollack is to be the subject of a biography from McFarland from the pen of Olimpiu M. Urcan, and John S. Hilbert  to be released later this year.

Set to be released in 2015 are new biographies of Ignaz Kolisch, and Samuel Lipschutz. I am heartened to see that most of these new releases are to be released in library binding, with only the Menchik biography to be released in softcover.

The latest chess catalog can be downloaded here.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Five more games from the twenty- seventh Western Chess Association Congress

I thought I might recover a few more games from the 27th Western Chess Association tournament, as I continue to go through the microfilm files of the Chicago Daily News. And I indeed did find five more games, from various rounds of the tournament.

 Described in the Chicago Daily News as "an exceptionally well played game with a nice ending." The first game recovered is between Orrin Frink Jr, and John Winter. Played in section B of the preliminary tournament of the Western Tournament.



The next game is from eighth round of the preliminary tournament in section B,  between R. Ballenger and L. H. Wight, the notes are by the American champion Frank J. Marshall.



Played in seventh round between John L. Brandner, of Chicago and Paul L. Bowers of Pittsburgh, in section A of the preliminary tournament of the Western Tournament.




Played in section B of the preliminary tournament of the Western Tournament.

  "William Widmeyer of South Dakota played the white side against Charles W. Phillips of Illinois who maneuvered the black spaces."
(Chicago Daily News: 22 October 1926)

Charles W. Phillips was the well known correspondence chess player, who be the subject of his own post in the future. Phillips was not only a over the board and correspondence player but also a problemist  of some note and I hope present some of his problems.




   "The following game was played in the fifth round of the western open championship tournament, which closed at the LaSalle hotel recently.
   Harry [sic] Steiner of New York City handled the white side against Irving Spero of Cleveland."
(Chicago Daily News: 11 October 1926)





There may be yet more games to recover.