Tournaments Books

With the remarkable increase in the number of tournaments and weekend congresses over the last decade, the understanding of the Laws of Chess, and the way they work in practice, is of paramount importance to all chess players. To date, organizers and participants have had no authority to which they could refer, but this gap has now been filled by Bozidar Kazic, the Chief Arbiter of FIDE, with contributions from Dragutin Djaja, a FIDE International Arbiter; Martin Morrison, past President of the FIDE Rules Commission; and Arpad Elo, creator and developer of the official FIDE Rating System. This book includes a detailed explanation of the FIDE Rating System and the method by which all International Titles are awarded. All controllers will benefit from the thorough coverage afforded to the various forms of the Swiss System and other tournament systems.

I am chess arbiter and I believe that this book can be available for basic knowledge of all the world's arbiters. Include a lot of real cases available for training, a complete description of ratings system, swiss system and others tournament regulations. My personal recommendation for all the arbiters.

With the remarkable increase in the number of tournaments and weekend congresses over the last decade, the understanding of the Laws of Chess, and the way they work in practice, is of paramount importance to all chess players. To date, organizers and participants have had no authority to which they could refer, but this gap has now been filled with this book. The book also includes a detailed explanation of the FIDE (World Chess Federation) Rating System and the method by which International Titles are awarded, and all tournament directors will benefit from the torough coverage afforded to the various forms of the Swiss System and other tournament expenses.

BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED. IT SEEMS ANYONE WHO HAD AN OPINION OF THE STATE OF HOCKEY AS IT WAS IS 1972, WAS INTERVIEWED IN THIS BOOK. EASILY THE BEST HISTORICAL SPORTS BOOK I HAVE READ. I WAS BORN IN 1968 SO I HAVE NO MEMORY OF THIS SERIES, BUT SO MANY OF THE SOVIET PLAYERS WHO FIRST BECAME KNOWN FROM THE ORININAL 72 SERIES WERE ALREADY VERY WELL KNOWN AS THE SERIES TURNED INTO THE 'CANADA CUP' THAT I FOLLOWED IN 1976 AND 1980. PETROV, KHARLAMOV AND YAKUSHEV AND ALL THE EARLY RUSSSIAN PRE NHL GREATS. THE BEST PART IS THE HISTORY OF SOVIET HOCKEY AND HOW THEY CREATED THIER OWN STYLE OF PLAY DIFFERENT FROM THE NHL AND HOW THEIR INNOVATIVE TRAINING, CONDITIONING AND AGGRESSIVE OFFENSIVE ATTACKING STYLE, CONTRASTED WITH THE NHL'S 'TOUGH' DEFENSIVE GAME. RUSSIA'S GREAT AMATUERS AND CANADA'S MIGHTY PROFESSIONALS MET FINALLY IN 1972 AS THE SOVIET NATIONAL TEAM FACED THE NHL'S BEST IN AN 8 GAME EXHIBITION SERIES. THE SERIES WOULD REDEIFNE HOCKEY AND INTERNATIONAL SPORT FOR ALL TIME. THE SOVIET NATIONAL COACH AT THE TIME PREDICTED THAT ALL FUTURE HOCKEY WOULD BE A MIXTURE OF THESE TWO DIFFERING STYLES AS BOTH SIDES WOULD INFLUENCE EACH OTHER IN THE FUTURE. TRULY PROTHETIC WORDS. ANYONE WHO IS A FAN OR STUDENT OF THE GAME OF HOCKEY, THIS IS A FINE BOOK, WHICH IN GREAT DETAIL TELLS THE COMPLETE STORY, BOTH RUSSIAN AND CANADIAN OF AN ATHLETIC EVENT WHICH MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SOCIAL AND POLITICAL EVENTS CERTAINLY IN CANDAIAN HISTORY. THAT IS NO OVERSTATEMENT. THINK OF DON CHERRY WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT EUROPEAN PLAYERS. THIS WAS THE FIFST TIME CANADIAN FANS SAW EUROPEANS COMPETE WITH AND AT TIMES DOMINATE CANADIAN "BOYS" AT CANADAS GAME. AND PEOPLE BEGAN THE ARGUMENT, WHICH IS BETTER HOCKEY? GOONS OR GRACE? THE ISSUE OVER WHOSE STYLE OF PLAY IS SUPERIOR HAS POLORIZED CANADA EVER SINCE. THIS WAS A HUGE DEAL IN CANADA, AND THE BOOK TELLS IT SO WELL. IT IS BREATHLESSLY WRITTEN A MUST READ

"Cold War" is a beautifully written (and researched!) book about the greatest series ever played (in any sport!) Every Canadian remembers where they were when Paul Henderson Scored the game and series winning goal in Moscow, and reading this book literally sent shivers down my spine, and brought back memories long forgotten. It also opened doors to many "behind the scenes" facts that I did not know. But most of all, it reminded me of how arrogant and over-confident we all were, and as Ken Dryden put it: "NEVER, EVER, UNDERESTIMATE YOUR OPPONENT". Of course we had ....

This point was driven home to an entire nation in September of 1972 when Canada's "professional" hockey stars (our "best of the best") played this dramatic eight game series against the "amateurs" of the Soviet Union. This series was the first ever between the Soviets and NHL players, and almost all Canadians, myself included, thought Canada would win all eight games easily. That is not what happened though, the Soviets stunned everyone by going 2-1-1 on Canadian ice. Canada came back in Moscow, winning 3 of 4 dramatically, all one goal games. Against a backdrop of the "cold war", and Canada's pride and identity at stake, even non-hockey fans got caught up the unfolding drama. Canada's pride was hurt for sure, but it forced our players to dig deep within themselves to pull out the skills that produced an amazing victory, despite tremendous obstacles. (such as a hostile press, star players quitting, and officiating that was horribly biased against Canada) The Soviets on the other hand had violated this very same rule when the teams got to Moscow, and clearly had lost their psychological edge. In short, they thought they had the series won. The series forced Canadians to look at themselves in a way they hadn't before, and in the decades since we have seen improvements in the game itself. In other words, the bar had been raised.

Roy MacSkimming deserves six stars for this one, he captured beautifully this unique series that really had the full range of human emotion, from the total shock of the the Soviets 7-3 rout in game one to the the hosile reaction of Canadian fans and media towards their own countrymen, to redemption, complete joy and relief in Moscow. Every Canadian, and American for that matter, should read this book, it goes beyond a sporting event really and exposes human nature.

On a personel note, I was in English Class in Cranbrook B.C. when Henderson scored "The Goal" on September 28, 1972. Most of Canada's schools, businesses and government offices closed that day, however we were not among those lucky. We did lobby our teacher however, and we watched the last two periods of game on TV despite her objections. Had she not relented, she would have regretted it forever ... the place went nuts!

For those who were very young (like myself) when the series was played and grew up not with the players mentioned but instead with such Russian players as Fedorov and Bure in the NHL, this book is a must to understand how these 8 games played in 1972 forever changed the face of international hockey -- The Canadians (and people in the States as well) realized that we didn't have a monopoly on how to play the game, and the Russians, for all their tremendous preparation and effort, saw that Westerners could rise to the occasion, and ultimately "opened their doors" just enough to begin the journey that today finds several NHL stars hailing from former Warsaw Pact nations. MacSkimming does an excellent job of both drawing upon the original 1972 news accounts and quotes as well as undertaking a host of interviews and research 20+ years later to give a renewed perspective on the games, the players and what it all meant then and now. Even if you know how "it ends," (if you don't you will find out early in the book) the rising action is expertly developed, and you feel (in your mind, at least) nearly the same sense of pride and accomplshment at the end as the Canadian players must have felt. Highly recommened for anyone w/ an interest in hockey and/or the "old" Soviet Union.

I HAVE BEEN AN INSTRUCTOR FOR 8 YEARS AND THIS IS NOW ONE OF THE REQUIRED BOOKS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN MY TRAINING CLASS FOR NEW DEALERS. AT MY SUGGESTION A LOCAL POKER ROOM HAS INCLUDED THIS AS THEIR RULE BOOK AND ALL SUPERVISORS ARE REQUIRED TO USE IT. THIS BOOKS HAS COMPREHENSIVE UP TO DATE RULES. AS WE KNOW RULES MAY CHANGE FROM ROOM TO ROOM, BUT SOMETHING THAT IS CLOSE TO STANDARD THE POKER ALMANAC HAS IT ALL. TDA RULES, ROBERTS RULES, GAMES, AS WELL AS A GREAT UP TO DATE GLOSSARY. THIS BOOK IS AN ASSET FOR TRAINING NEW DEALERS. I USE THIS AND THE PROFESSIONAL DEALER'S HANDBOOK AS A REQUIREMENT TO PURCHASE.

This is a concise encyclopedia of the rules for poker. The Official Rules will particularly appeal to novices as it explains the nature of the cardroom, the equipment integral to the game, and hand rankings. Much of it is based on Robert's (Bob Ciaffone's) Rules of Poker and is elaborated upon by the author. It provides an introduction to the game as well by experienced player, Kelli Mix. The various styles of games are also discussed: limit, spread limit, no limit, and pot limit. The text covers just about everything including seven card stud high low and deuce-to-seven high low. The explanation of tournament rules is valuable because, as those of us who watch HSP already know, tournaments and cash games are entirely different animals. It even tells you what should be done with the "odd chip" in casino games. I appreciated the definition of "kill pots" and wish I would have read it before I began playing in kill limit games online, lol. This is definitely something I could have really used back in 2004 when I first began learning about the game.

Game Day highly recommends this book as the standard poker book for use during all types of poker games. This book is especially helpful to players in home games of poker, where it is important to have a way to resolve rules disputes quickly and amicably.

We at Game Day saw that there was something missing in the current field of poker books: a standard poker rule book. Before we published the Official Rules of Poker, the only authorities on the rules of poker was Scarne and Hoyle, which were written in the Nineteenth Century. The game has changed, especially in the last ten years, and we realized that it was important to have a Twenty-First Century rule book.

When we put out the word that we were looking for an editor and for such a book, Kelli Mix came forward. Ms. Mix, or "Poker Mom" as she is known at the poker table, eagerly took up the challenge of gathering and writing the rules to suit the modern game of poker. This turned out to be a gargantuan task. Ms. Mix researched each rule, making sure that they were found in at least five independent sources. Mix turned out to be a wonderful choice as editor and author of the Game Day Poker Almanac Official Rules of Poker.

Mix is a professional poker player. She is still under most poker players radar, but she is quietly climbing the ranks of tournament poker players (she finished 11th in the 2007 World Series of Poker Texas Hold 'Em Women's tournament in a field of more than 1,200 players). However, she is more likely to be found at cash games, playing high stakes.

The Official Rules of Poker includes all the rules of poker, from the most basic hand rankings to the most obscure tournament rules.

Contents:
1: Elements of Poker. This chapter covers the most basic rules of poker, and also describes the way poker is played in casino card rooms. Mix wrote these rules in a way that makes them easy to use while playing a game.

2: Professional Poker Rules. These rules cover more of mechanical means of acting in a poker game, giving the finer definitions of what constitutes a raise, a call or a fold. They also discuss the penalties of rules infractions. There are four parts to this chapter.

a) Robert's Rules of Poker. These rules were written by professional poker player and authority, Bob Ciaffone, as a standard set of rules of cash games in casino card rooms. While local laws may require changes to these rules, and some casinos use their own rules, these rules are often cited as the official set of rules in professional play.

b) Robert's Rules of Poker for Private Games: This is Ciaffone's "Robert's Rules of Poker" which he adopted to home games where no impartial dealer or floorperson is present.

c) Poker Tournament Director's Association Rules (TDA Rules). Each year, the Professional Poker Tournament Directors Association updates its rules, which most casinos and poker leagues use as their official rule book in tournament play. Tournament rules add a new layer of rules to poker, as tournaments are about eliminating players, not about accumulating money.

d) World Series of Poker Rules: The World Series of Poker is considered the premier poker tournament event. Due to its sheer size and commercialism, the rules for WSOP tournaments are different than TDA rules. Many poker leagues use WSOP rules instead of TDA rules, as the WSOP rules are more popular among those who learned poker from television.

3: Poker Etiquette. There are types of behavior frowned upon in poker games, due to the fact that poker is a highly competitive game and may involve large sums of money. In some games of poker, violating etiquette may result in ejection from the game.

4: Variant Poker Games. Includes 69 different versions of poker, including 5-Card Draw, 5-Card Stud, Cincinnati, Chicago, Baseball, Anaconda, Mexican Stud, Chinese Poker, Iron Cross, Guts, English Stud, Kansas City Lowball, California Lowball, Pineapple,Spit, Three-Card Draw, and the ever-hilarious Indian Poker. Also includes rules for declaring wild cards and using jokers. WhIle professional poker players and casino card rooms will never play most of these games, home games are notorious for playing "dealer's choice" where the dealer chooses which of the many variations of poker will be played that hand. (Note: Mix and I had a really good time finding out about all of these games.)

5: Glossary. Again, Mix was very thorough in her research. Poker terminology is highly colorful and is a lingo all its own. from the Nuts to the Fish. Mix used multiple sources, as there are many local poker terms and terms used that do not last more than a few months. She excludes popular names for two-card Texas Hold 'Em hands, purposefully, although we plan to have a separate glossary for hand names in future editions. Still, this is one of the most complete glossaries I have seen in a poker book anywhere.

6. Index: Okay, I did the index. I believe that indexes should be thorough, and so I did my best to make the index easy to use in the heat of play. Still, this was a fairly easy index to create, as Mix's presentation of the rules and her organization of the material was straightforward, allowing me to easily pick out the rules.

The Official Rules of Poker has been wonderfully received. Professional poker dealers have been clamoring to get this edition. When we released the book at the WSOP 2007 in Las Vegas, the WSOP dealers practically knocked me over trying to get their own copy.

Thank you for considering The Game Day Poker Almanac Official Rules of Poker. I personally hope you will find it to be of great use, and that the book will provide you with years of fun--and fair--poker.

David A. Rozansky
Publisher
Game Day (an imprint of Flying Pen Press)

Lots of great tips. Auken gives examples of the mini No trump, aggressive bidding, and unusual carding.

Lots of interesting stories as well. Like the time she spilled coffee on an opponent :-)

You will enjoy this book if you are interested in Bridge, the focus isn't on just Bridge play, but on the lifestyle and thoughts at the bridge table of one of the top players.

"We want the Fish"

I don't agree with all the authors views on Bridge (she likes random/destructive bidding - I don't - I think it makes the game more of a bluffing/guessing game than a deductive reasoning game)
and I didn't agree with all her inferences on some hands (skimpy inferences , she was just lucky)
BUT
Its a fun book, with nice hands, and interesting discussions of the weak NT.

If you like books liek AT THE TABLE, you will like this

I Love This Game by Sabine Auken (the world ranked number best woman bridge player) is the exclusive story and instructional telling of the author's miraculous comeback for Germany in the 2001 Venice Cup for bridge. Describing to the reader the final sixteen deals and the order of she and her team's unexpected comeback, I Love This Game helpfully guides its readers through the intricacies of the hands, Bridge principles, carding methods, team chemistry, as well as the pros and cons of mini-notrump openings, multi-purpose two-bids, and the merits of forcing club systems. I Love This Game is very highly recommended for dedicated Bridge enthusiasts searching for an accessible instructional guide for the betterment of their gaming skills -- as well as an outstanding personal story amidst the discussion of Bridge.

I rate Inside the Cage a triple E: it's entertaining, educational, edifying. I'm not much of a basketball fan, but I enjoyed Martindale's blow by blow accounts of the tournament games. I particlarly admired his sparse but vivid writing style, which contrasts with today's media's overcharged, over-hyped sports reporting. Martindale obviously knows what made Hemmingway great. But Martindale's perspective extends beyond the games and into the personalities of the people in the background. As a white man talking about mostly black guys, Martindale is honest and avoids the patronizing tone that characterizes so much of the literature written by white people about African-Americans. His portrait of Kenny Graham, the main man behind the tournament, is true and will linger in my mind long after I have put this book down. And what makes Inside the Cage great is that it extends the perspective even further, looking past the games, the memorable characters in and around it, and places the West 4th Street Tournament within a cultural and social context. Martindale's inquiry as to whether basketball is good for the inner-city was one of the most incisive, thoughtful, provocative pieces of sports journalism that I have ever read.

Having spent many summers watching games at W. 4th st., I recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding New York City basketball. In the course of describing one season at the Cage, the book skillfully portrays the colorful characters that make the Cage what it is. The book documents a community of basketball enthusiasts and players who have made this small court in Greenwhich Village their home for over 25 summers. Martindale's portrayal of the lives of these people off the court is just as fascinating as the game time action. The essays on play and city basketball towards the end of the book show just how important the culture of the Cage is. W. 4th st is a NYC summer institution and Inside the Cage is a must read for anyone who really wants to know about it.

Anyone who has watched games at the cage on west fourth street can attest to Martindale's vivid descriptions of the basketball talent and intense competition on display on any summer day.

Behind the scenes is an even more compelling story, unknown to casual fans but brought to life through an insider's view of the legendary tournament. The story of the cage is strengthened by the author's meticulous research, historical perspective and lucid style.

Martindale writes with a keen insight into not just the power and athleticism of the game of street ball, but with an equal focus on the men who make inner city leagues succeed despite improbable odds. Inside The Cage brings city basketball to life and honors those dedicated to making it work. It is a great, fast, informative read.

This book has good information and is very to the point. It is a very fast read with thorough and accurate information. There are no fish stories or anecdotal tales (which I liked). The photographs are spectacular. The photos alone are worth the price of the book.

You'll treasure this book for the truly outstanding and plentiful full-page photos of Bass and lures. No other Bass book like it in that respect. Makes a special gift for any occasion. Any level of bass fisherman,from beginner to expert, will be glad to receive this book as a gift.

Largemouth Bass by Don Oster is a book that tells it as you'll find it when you go after bass. This book provides information about where to find, what to use, how to use, and when to use. There are dozens of excellent photographs illustrating all the aspects of bass fishing. If you have never fished for bass or you are a veteran angler this book will get you started or validate your fishing knowledge and skill. As a practiced bass angler for three years I found this book contained excellent information that is easy to understand and use.

This is the second book by a blackjack expert on playing poker tournaments. His first book included online play; here the focus is on brick and mortar poker.

He recommends a very loose aggressive style, playing the situation, not your cards.

The standard books on tournament poker are the Harrington books. They suggest a much tighter style which may lead to pushing marginal hands when you're outchipped.

Probably wisely, Snyder recommends chipping up with early aggression based om position and reads as well as your cards.

The author is using a pen name, but I believe he has a creditable live tourney record. He graphs his tourneys in this book. (Would using his real name hurt his results at the tables?)

This book is well worth adding to your poker library as a different way of thinking about poker. The poker book market has a lot of me-too books. Snyder's works stand above the rabble of cloned poker texts.

Snyder has done any serious tournament player a favor by revealing all the information in this book. A follow-up to PTF1, it is written for deep-stack tournaments, but much of the theories and tools provided can be used for all forms of poker (I know Snyder might disagree with this). Frankly, being selfish, I'm glad not too many people have read this outstanding addition to the vast library of poker books available. To those of you that are really serious however, this is a MUST BUY, and worth 10X the price.

I like this book because it doesn't go in detail on what starting hand requirements a person should play. This is an advanced concept book and is not for folks who are just starting out playing hold'em.

I won't take away from Mr. Snyder and lay out the content of his book online. You can purchase the book for all of that. However, I will describe a few of topics otherwise no one will be inclined to read his material.

One of the interesting things about the book (and it's not even listed as a selling point) is the 10 functions you have with your chip stack.

Think about it for a second, can you list down all the functions your chips stack has besides adding to the pile? PFT2 goes into detail on how to use your chip stack to make information bets, value bet, dominate small stacks.

The books primary focus is utilizing the weapons you have at hand to develop a monstrous chip stack.

Sleeping Bear Press has done it again-- a great read from Don Wade who combines great, informed golf knowledge with a spy/intelligence thriller.

I read much golf fiction and non-fiction, and this is defintely at the top of the leader board. As others have commented, one doesn't have to be into golf nor suspense to like this one.

It twists and turns and keeps one attached to seeing it thru, that the whole Peter Brooks thing will end up.

I'm convinced Peter Brooks is truly Nick Faldo. Read this one!

Not being a golfer I thought this book would leave me bored. But I was wrong. It has so much going for it, murder, espionage, a little bit of sex and some very believable characters who I cared about. The relationship and inside workings of the CIA, MI6 and the IRA is enlightening. As for golf, I loved reading about how the TV puts on a golf tournament. Even the golf part helped to explain the intellectual side of the game. Most enjoyable.

I'm generally too distracted to read, but I was glued to this book. The author integrates an obviously advanced knowledge of golf and media production into a gripping story. The book would fascinate a serious golfer without losing the interest of a non-golfer.

The humor is sophisticated and understated as is the romance and the political questions the book raises. It is a perfect combination - easy to read ... and intelligent.

It's really an autobiography disguised as a novel. I have to believe is an accurate story of how these "cowboys of the sea" persue those magnificent creatures of the deep and the lifestyle they choose to live while doing it. Then there's the
wealth and power of the boat owners... If you love to fish and dream a little...you have to read this book!!

I fished with Ron Hamlin in Guatemala and let me tell you, he's the real deal!! He was kind enough to give me an autographed copy. Please make more available. I would like to buy six more copies to give to friends.

The best fishing story I've ever read. This book caught the big one! I only wish there were more like it.The competition, the commraddery, the humor made you feel like you were there.I can't believe a movie hasn't been made with this one

A lifelike version of the real thing

It is the definitive work on the history of the US chess championships.

I like this book very much.

It begins with a description of the match between Charles Stanley and Eugene Rousseau in 1845. Stanley won that match to become the first US Champion. Eight year old Paul Morphy watched as Stanley, as Black, played 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Ba5 a6! TN 4 Ba4 b5. The move 3...a6 is now named for Morphy, who became the US Champion in 1857. We continue with George Mackenzie, who first won the US Championship in 1871. Mackenzie won in 1874 and again in 1880, when he defeated James Grundy in a playoff match. Andy Soltis and Gene McCormick tell of the scandal involved, in which Grundy won a game under very dubious circumstances, allowing him to reach the playoff.

Then we see champions Harry Pillsbury and Frank Marshall. And a discussion of Jose Capablanca's claim to the US championship. Capablanca defeated Marshall in a match 8-1, but was not granted the title of US Champion for a simple reason: he was not an American citizen, but a citizen of Cuba.

We then proceed to the 1936 Championship tournament, won by Sammy Reshevsky. (Amazingly, Reshevsky was still playing in the US Championship when he tied for third in 1981). And we see the wild 1942 championship, in which Reshevsky was awarded a win by tournament director Walter Stephens, who, in the most outrageous ruling in US chess championship history, forfeited Arnold Denker on time even though Denker's flag was still up (the game should have been a draw). Reshevsky wound up tying for first after that, and he won a playoff with Isaac Kashdan for the title. Perhaps justice was served when Denker won the 1944 championship.

After that, a new generation took over. In 1951, 19-year old Larry Evans won the championship, and in 1954, 23-year old Arthur Bisguier won it. In 1957, 14-year old Bobby Fischer became our youngest champion. Fischer went on to win all eight of the championships he played in. We see him scramble out of lost positions in 1959-60 against Robert Byrne and Edmar Mednis (he lost games in later championships to both of them). We see the 1962-63 championship, in which Fischer finished a game ahead of Bisguier by defeating him on the White side of a Ruy Lopez, Berlin variation. And there's the incredible Fischer 11-0 sweep in 1963-64, where the commentators thought Fischer was lost in his game with Robert Byrne until Byrne quite properly resigned.

We see Walter Browne's championships in the 1970s and early 1980s, as well as the 1978 championship that Browne withdrew from. And the incident in the game between Leonid Shamkovich and Mednis in that tournament: Mednis lost when he got into time pressure caused by his clock running much faster than any of the other clocks.

In the 1987 championship, we see Nick deFirmian tie Joel Benjamin for first place. Once again, a director's ruling came into play when deFirmian appeared to lose a game on time after his opponent, Michael Rohde, made an illegal move! The ruling gave deFirmian enough time to reach the time control and win the game. And we see descriptions of the tournaments through 1996.

I liked the more than 100 games in the book. It is a fine tribute to all the players in the history of championship chess in the United States.

"All you need to know about Championship Chess in the U.S."

I wasn't really interested in reviewing this book, but an Internet student asked me to take a look at it, as he was thinking about buying it for his collection. (I have had this book for several years now.)

First you should know that I am a Chess Master that for many years has made a living from teaching chess. Secondly, I am also a huge fan of Andy's, but I will try to be objective as possible here.

The books starts off with an Introduction, and in it is a very funny and amusing story as told by Pat Wolff to Charles Fried, the former Solicitor General in the Reagan Administration. (I also wish to note that only people who are familiar with the plight of chess players in the U.S. can even begin to comprehend what he is talking about.)

Chapter One is entitled, "A Champion Is Crowned." It is the story of one Charles H. Stanley, the first official U.S. Champion. (Did you know that the first U.S. Championship was a match between Stanley and Rousseau? And that it was played in New Orleans in 1845? Most people think Morphy was the first U.S. Champion, but that is a common misconception.)

Chapter Two is about Paul Morphy. (Who else?) There are chapters with titles like, "The King Is A Captain." (Chap. # 3.) Or ... "The Years Of Confusion." Or even "The Man Who Enjoyed It." I could go on and on, but I trust by now you get the general picture. This is a great book. Its NOT just a chess book, but a history book as well. And one that is thoroughly enjoyable to read.

My favorite chapter would have to be the one that covered the life and times of Samuel Reshevsky. His `squeakers' and come-from-behind finishes are most enthralling to read about. And the way that Soltis describes it, one almost feels as if you were there ... re-living the events as they happen.

Practical every era and period of chess is covered. Nothing is left out. There are dozens - if not hundreds - of game fragments, and many nicely annotated games as well. Soltis often gives you a `blow-by-blow' that other chess authors will not trouble to do. You find out many stories that may have stayed permanently behind the scenes if not for this book.

You get 8 pages in the middle of the book with 16 truly beautiful photographs. At the end of the book is nearly everything a chess person could want or desire: # 1.) A complete summary; # 2.) Individual records; # 3.) An Openings Index; # 4.) An ECO openings index, # 5.) A general index.

And there are even some personal memories in here for me. I attended and was a spectator at many of these events, starting as a small boy visiting my GrandMother in New York. The section that describes the Lev Alburt victory at Jacksonville, Florida in 1990 is very personal for me. I was there in the audience, and I watched just about every game. (My Brilliancy Prize game for The U.S. Open that year can be found in just about every on-line database.) And - of course! - you get cross-tables from most or all of these events.

I do not think I can rate this book highly enough, nor do it any real justice in a small review.

Why would you buy this book? Certainly not to improve ... there are too many good teaching books - `The Complete Chess Player,' by Reinfeld; `My System,' by Nimzovich; "How To Re-Assess Your Chess," by IM Jeremy Silman; The Watson or Alburt books, etc. Plus you could get several other books what you will pay for this one, especially if you are willing to buy a used book.

You would not buy this book if you are trying to raise your rating ... once again this is not a book really designed to do that. No!! Buy this book because you love the game and want a book that will be a permanent and lasting memory of all the great tournaments, and all the great players who played in them. Q.E.D.