It's Your Move!
Chess
Since the earliest Indian prototypes emerged1400 years ago, chess has captivated players with its creative blend of calculation, artistry, and bloodless struggle. Along its westward trek to the Andalus, the game won adherents, including Caliph Al-Ma'Mun of Baghdad, who awarded the first "grandmaster" titles in 819 C.E. As it migrated from Muslim to Christian centers, chess with pieces reflecting the social structures of feudal Europe evolved into the game we have today.
Benjamin Franklin penned the first chess article in Colonial America, and the first modern international chess tournament was held in London in 1851. Over a century later, the Cold War was waged on a chess board as American Bobby Fischer defeated his Soviet opponent. His 1972 victory still exerts a pull on contemporary enthusiasts.
Chess was ushered into the computer age with the 1997 "man vs. machine" match between Garry Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue. At the same time, women stormed the barricades of the traditionally male-dominated sport. The victories of Hungarian sisters Susan, Sophia, and especially Judith Polgar (who achieved grandmaster [GM] status at age 15) against top male grandmasters are eroding entrenched gender biases and attracting more females to the board.
Today the ancient game of kings is a park bench, coffeehouse, and Internet lingua franca that transcends parochial interests. The Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) list of member nations rivals those of the largest world athletic bodies. The U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) reports 90,000 active tournament players and over 1700 affiliated clubs. A global village pastime, indeed.
More than fun and games
A library collection is a community asset. Studies indicate that chess is a healthy mental pursuit for children of all skill levels; the educational nonprofit Chess-in-the-Schools reports improvements in reading scores and a variety of other intellectual and social benefits for kids who accept the rigors and rewards of chess study.
Many library collections currently have only a smattering of old classics, international tournament books, and player anthologies; few titles date from beyond the 1980s, and there is often little cohesion in the selections. Fortunately, we live in a golden age of chess publishing, and the following tips will assist librarians unacquainted with the noble embrace of Caissa (patron goddess of chess) to build responsive print collections.
This is not to discount the impact of computers and the Internet, which have opened new vistas for participation. Chess engines and databases offer new access to master games and chip-assisted analysis. As 24/7 opponents, computers are excellent repositories for personal tournament and "skittles," or offhand, games. For now, however, electronic sources supplement rather than supplant books and periodicals.
The rules of the game
In order to select appropriate materials for your collection, it helps to understand how the game works. Chess is played on an 8" x 8" board of alternating white and colored squares with 16 identical pieces on each side-eight pawns; two each rooks, knights, and bishops; a queen and a king. The object is to attack the king leaving him no escape--checkmate! The variety of paths to that end are staggering. Estimates for the total number of board positions after ten moves are as high as 10120.
After learning the moves and rules, a complete player must gain proficiency in the opening, middle, and endgame. Strategy and tactics are dynamic forces that dictate the course and outcome of play. You'll need coverage of the five aforementioned themes. Master games are great learning tools when the authors sufficiently develop and illustrate overarching concepts for the amateur. And history and biography enhance chess appreciation.
Chess resources
With basic and intermediate-level materials as your acquisitions compass, start with established publishers associated with instructional excellence: Gambit, Random House Games & Puzzles, Batsford, Sterling, Everyman Chess (formerly Cadogan), and Siles. Noted authors include GM Lev Alburt and Bruce Pandolfini (the real-life teacher of Searching for Bobby Fischer); Sunil Weermantry's Best Lessons of a Chess Coach is another student favorite.
If you know zilch about chess, enlist the aid of local clubs and expert players who tutor in evaluating the latest publisher's catalog. (Online state affiliate and scholastic club directories are listed at http://www.chessmaniac.com/ ) An excellent source of chess book reviews can be found at http://www.jeremysilman.com/
A good chess book should have clear, accurate diagrams, with obvious links between notation and position. Pass on buying or weed anything with squares offset, or frequent misplaced or mislabeled pieces. Also, look critically at any title that uses older descriptive notation to record chess moves. Algebraic notation has become the universal standard and the system newcomers will learn.
Out-of-print gems like Fischer's My 60 Memorable Games and Practical Chess Endings by Estonian GM Paul Keres are perennials that should remain on most library shelves. Likewise The Oxford Companion to Chess has no peer in print. However, treatments of opening variations grow stale as theory advances and are worth a weeding review each year.
The titles below are appropriate for most public libraries. Starred [*] titles are core purchases. Academic libraries, especially those serving intercollegiate teams, may require high-powered analysis from Sahovski's family of Chess Informant titles. Remember that the Library of Congress Talking Book program offers chess books and periodicals on audiocassette and in Braille.
By: Carlson, Greg, Library Journal
Greg Carlson is a Library Program Administrator at the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services, Daytona Beach, FL. He achieved an "A" tournament rating from the U.S. Chess Federation. Thanks to Jeremy Silman, Alicia Ellison, Brad Ward, Daytona Beach, FL. He achieved an "A" tournament rating from the U.S. Chess Federation. Thanks to Jeremy Silman, Alicia Ellison, Brad Ward, Marsha Fottler, Garry Viering, and Tom Green for their contributions
Since the earliest Indian prototypes emerged1400 years ago, chess has captivated players with its creative blend of calculation, artistry, and bloodless struggle. Along its westward trek to the Andalus, the game won adherents, including Caliph Al-Ma'Mun of Baghdad, who awarded the first "grandmaster" titles in 819 C.E. As it migrated from Muslim to Christian centers, chess with pieces reflecting the social structures of feudal Europe evolved into the game we have today.
Benjamin Franklin penned the first chess article in Colonial America, and the first modern international chess tournament was held in London in 1851. Over a century later, the Cold War was waged on a chess board as American Bobby Fischer defeated his Soviet opponent. His 1972 victory still exerts a pull on contemporary enthusiasts.
Chess was ushered into the computer age with the 1997 "man vs. machine" match between Garry Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue. At the same time, women stormed the barricades of the traditionally male-dominated sport. The victories of Hungarian sisters Susan, Sophia, and especially Judith Polgar (who achieved grandmaster [GM] status at age 15) against top male grandmasters are eroding entrenched gender biases and attracting more females to the board.
Today the ancient game of kings is a park bench, coffeehouse, and Internet lingua franca that transcends parochial interests. The Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) list of member nations rivals those of the largest world athletic bodies. The U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) reports 90,000 active tournament players and over 1700 affiliated clubs. A global village pastime, indeed.
More than fun and games
A library collection is a community asset. Studies indicate that chess is a healthy mental pursuit for children of all skill levels; the educational nonprofit Chess-in-the-Schools reports improvements in reading scores and a variety of other intellectual and social benefits for kids who accept the rigors and rewards of chess study.
Many library collections currently have only a smattering of old classics, international tournament books, and player anthologies; few titles date from beyond the 1980s, and there is often little cohesion in the selections. Fortunately, we live in a golden age of chess publishing, and the following tips will assist librarians unacquainted with the noble embrace of Caissa (patron goddess of chess) to build responsive print collections.
This is not to discount the impact of computers and the Internet, which have opened new vistas for participation. Chess engines and databases offer new access to master games and chip-assisted analysis. As 24/7 opponents, computers are excellent repositories for personal tournament and "skittles," or offhand, games. For now, however, electronic sources supplement rather than supplant books and periodicals.
The rules of the game
In order to select appropriate materials for your collection, it helps to understand how the game works. Chess is played on an 8" x 8" board of alternating white and colored squares with 16 identical pieces on each side-eight pawns; two each rooks, knights, and bishops; a queen and a king. The object is to attack the king leaving him no escape--checkmate! The variety of paths to that end are staggering. Estimates for the total number of board positions after ten moves are as high as 10120.
After learning the moves and rules, a complete player must gain proficiency in the opening, middle, and endgame. Strategy and tactics are dynamic forces that dictate the course and outcome of play. You'll need coverage of the five aforementioned themes. Master games are great learning tools when the authors sufficiently develop and illustrate overarching concepts for the amateur. And history and biography enhance chess appreciation.
Chess resources
With basic and intermediate-level materials as your acquisitions compass, start with established publishers associated with instructional excellence: Gambit, Random House Games & Puzzles, Batsford, Sterling, Everyman Chess (formerly Cadogan), and Siles. Noted authors include GM Lev Alburt and Bruce Pandolfini (the real-life teacher of Searching for Bobby Fischer); Sunil Weermantry's Best Lessons of a Chess Coach is another student favorite.
If you know zilch about chess, enlist the aid of local clubs and expert players who tutor in evaluating the latest publisher's catalog. (Online state affiliate and scholastic club directories are listed at http://www.chessmaniac.com/ ) An excellent source of chess book reviews can be found at http://www.jeremysilman.com/
A good chess book should have clear, accurate diagrams, with obvious links between notation and position. Pass on buying or weed anything with squares offset, or frequent misplaced or mislabeled pieces. Also, look critically at any title that uses older descriptive notation to record chess moves. Algebraic notation has become the universal standard and the system newcomers will learn.
Out-of-print gems like Fischer's My 60 Memorable Games and Practical Chess Endings by Estonian GM Paul Keres are perennials that should remain on most library shelves. Likewise The Oxford Companion to Chess has no peer in print. However, treatments of opening variations grow stale as theory advances and are worth a weeding review each year.
The titles below are appropriate for most public libraries. Starred [*] titles are core purchases. Academic libraries, especially those serving intercollegiate teams, may require high-powered analysis from Sahovski's family of Chess Informant titles. Remember that the Library of Congress Talking Book program offers chess books and periodicals on audiocassette and in Braille.
By: Carlson, Greg, Library Journal
Greg Carlson is a Library Program Administrator at the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services, Daytona Beach, FL. He achieved an "A" tournament rating from the U.S. Chess Federation. Thanks to Jeremy Silman, Alicia Ellison, Brad Ward, Daytona Beach, FL. He achieved an "A" tournament rating from the U.S. Chess Federation. Thanks to Jeremy Silman, Alicia Ellison, Brad Ward, Marsha Fottler, Garry Viering, and Tom Green for their contributions
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