Chess Explorations (83)
By Edward Winter
Early Uses
of ‘World Chess Champion’: A compilation of many of the first occurrences
of ‘world champion’, ‘world championship’ and
similar terms, particularly in connection with Morphy and Steinitz.
World Chess
Championship Rules: This article gives the rules and regulations
for Steinitz’s world title matches (against Zukertort, Chigorin, Gunsberg
and Lasker).
W. Steinitz
Lasker
v Janowsky, Paris, 1909: Even today it is sometimes still claimed that
this match was for the world championship, but the documentary evidence is clear
that it was not.
D. Janowsky
How
Capablanca Became World Champion: An examination of the negotiations
leading up to the 1921 Lasker v Capablanca world title match, including Lasker’s
decision in 1920 to resign as champion.
Capablanca’s
Reply to Lasker: The full text of the Cuban’s detailed response,
written in 1922, to claims by Lasker regarding their match the previous year.
Em. Lasker
The London
Rules: An important document drawn up in 1922 to govern future world championship matches.
Chess:
The History of FIDE: An overview of the early days of the Fédération
Internationale des Echecs, including its attempted involvement in the world
championship.
Capablanca
v Alekhine, 1927: A discussion of the Buenos Aires match, and especially
the issue of whether it would have been drawn if the score had reached
5-5.
J.R. Capablanca
FIDE Championship
(1928): This article reviews the world governing body’s wish to
create a separate title of ‘FIDE champion’.
E. Bogoljubow
Seven Alekhine
Articles: The integral texts of the articles which Alekhine contributed
to the New York Times during his 1929 match against Bogoljubow.
World Championship
Disorder: An analysis of the controversy in the late 1930s over how
the world championship challenger should be designated.
M. Euwe
Interregnum:
This article presents a detailed account of how the world title issue was handled
following Alekhine’s death in 1946.
M. Botvinnik
The
Termination: Although no-one can know the full story of the controversial
termination of the 1984-85 Karpov v Kasparov match, one conclusion is inescapable:
much false information has been disseminated by certain chess writers.
Books about
Anand, Carlsen, Gelfand, Kramnik and Topalov: A catalogue of books published
about (not by) five of the world’s leading masters.
The Chess Notes archives page has links to similar lists that we have prepared of books on Alekhine, Capablanca, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Keres, Korchnoi and Tal.
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All ChessBase articles
by Edward Winter
Edward Winter is the editor of Chess
Notes, which was founded in January 1982 as "a forum for aficionados
to discuss all matters relating to the Royal Pastime". Since then, over 7,650
items have been published, and the series has resulted in four books by Winter:
Chess
Explorations (1996), Kings,
Commoners and Knaves (1999), A
Chess Omnibus (2003) and Chess
Facts and Fables (2006). He is also the author of a monograph on Capablanca
(1989). In 2011 a paperback
edition was issued.
Chess Notes is well known for its historical research, and anyone browsing
in its archives
will find a wealth of unknown games, accounts of historical mysteries, quotes
and quips, and other material of every kind imaginable. Correspondents from
around the world contribute items, and they include not only "ordinary readers"
but also some eminent historians – and, indeed, some eminent masters. Chess
Notes is located at the Chess
History Center. Signed copies of Edward Winter's publications are
currently available.