Description
Chessboard Magic! by Irving Chernev, signed by Bobby Fischer, Samuel Reshevsky, Edward Lasker, Robert Byrne, Israel “Al” Horowitz, Lisa Lane, Pal Benko, and William Lombardy in 1961.
Octavo, xi, [3], 162pp, [16]. Illustrated paper boards. Stated “new Dover Edition” on the copyright page, a reissue of the first printing, published by Chess Review in 1943. (Betts 23-15) Retail price of $1.00 on the front cover. Wear along spine, rubbing to tips of front cover. Text block solid, free of marks or notes. Includes a set of seven original photographs from the match, printed by the Berkey Photo Service. All photographs include notes on the verso, mostly about Bobby Fischer’s match at the Empire Hotel in New York. This copy housed in a custom gray cloth clamshell, title in gilt on black morocco label, compartment for photographs below the book.
This copy is signed on the front free endpaper by the following players: Bobby Fischer, Samuel Reshevsky, Edward Lasker, Robert Byrne, Israel “Al” Horowitz, Lisa Lane, Pal Benko, and William Lombardy.
A unique collection of chess grandmasters.
The 1961 match between Bobby Fischer and Samuel Reshevsky for the George P. Edgar Trophy began at the Empire Hotel in New York City on July 16, 1961. Sponsored by the American Chess Foundation, the sixteen-game match alternated between New York and Los Angeles and was intended to showcase America’s two strongest players. By the time the match was halted-after the eleventh game on October 26, 1961-Fischer led 6½–5½. A dispute arose between Fischer and the America Chess Foundation over scheduling and playing conditions at the Empire Hotel, leading to its abrupt cancellation and victory for Reshevsky.
