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Last update: Friday June 3, 2005 9:44
by Graham Burgess
Gambit, 208 pages, hardcover, £19.99
It's never
easy to buy a suitable present for a chess player. I've received numerous chess
sets that are still unpacked and a collection of Fred Reinfeld books that rely
on a keen knowledge of the old descriptive notation. A new generation of players
will gratefully receive Burgess' entertaining summary of the 20th Century. This
hardback edition traces the evolution of modern chess with a couple of pages
devoted to each year. The history of famous events is short on detail but it
is a chance to remind people of some of the outstanding tournaments. A selection
of black and white photos gives the reader a chance to relate to history with
images of great players such as Capablanca, Nimzowitsch, and Kasparov. A brief
history of the game that will particularly delight youthful chess fans who have
yet to discover life before Fritz.
Reviewed by Gary Lane