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Last update: Friday June 3, 2005 9:44
This has proved to be one of the most difficult decisions in recent years as the judges were faced with the choice of two books (from the original short list of four) of exceptional, but differing merit.
The first: Tony Miles: "It's Only Me" England's First Chess Grandmaster Compiled by Geoff Lawton Batsford £17.99 287pp is a compilation of Mile's writings and games assembled following his premature death. It demonstrates what a strong chess player Miles was in his prime and what an excellent, irreverent writer he could be, particularly when his sense of injustice was roused. Woe betide anyone guilty of pomposity! Included are a number of tributes from personal friends. Though the book could have been improved by tighter editing and an analysis of Mile's contribution to chess theory, it is an outstanding tribute to a personality, who led the way for the many great players who followed his example. Essential reading for all British chess players.
The other contender is: My Great Predecessors Part 1 Garry Kasparov Everyman £25.00. In his early years Kasparov wrote a couple of outstanding books, but has written very little since. He has reentered the arena in a major way, with a substantial work consisting of no less than 464 pages and 148 deeply annotated games, covering the world champions Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine together with their major rivals and contemporaries. The aim is to show the evolution of chess theory and practice as exemplified by the games greatest exponents and the objective is achieved triumphantly. The volume is open to criticism: the role of co author Dmitry Plisetsky is unclear, pendants have found minor faults with the historical details and others have nit picked at the annotations, while the attempt to identify "The Champions as Symbols of their Time" does not work. But the broad sweep of the book is majestic and Kasparov's chess genius is apparent in his critical review of the games given in the book and in particular, his appreciation of the ebb and flow of the world championship matches. After all who else is better able to illuminate these epic struggles? Kasparov's discussion of the monumental Capablanca, Alekhine 1927 world title match is worth the price of the book alone. Lastly the production quality of the book does justice to the contents.
Despite much sympathy for Tony Miles, the judges unanimously decided that My Great Predecessors is The Book of the Year 2003.
Ray Edwards, Mike Fox, John Toothill 29th September 2003
This has been a bumper year for chess books and many which would have made the short list in previous years- including excellent books on chess history and correspondence chess - have had to be excluded. The short list is:
Chess Strategy in Action John Watson Gambit £19.99
This book is a successor to Watson's best selling Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy, which won the Book of the Year in 1999. In this latest volume, Watson further develops and expands his ideas in Part1 and then in Part 2 analyses in depth 35 contemporary games, illustrating the dynamic nature of modern chess.
I Play Against the Pieces Svetozar Gligoric Batsford £15.99
For many years after the Second World War, Gligoric was the leading European player facing the array of Soviet Grandmasters. This volume is his autobiography with 130 of his best games arranged by openings. As the title indicates, Gligoric concentrated on the board and not the opponent with the result his best games are models of lucid and elegant play.
My Great Predecessors Part 1 Garry Kasparov Everyman £25.00
In his earlier career Garry Kasparov was an outstanding author, but in recent
years has written very little. However he has been working on a history of chess
which is now emerging as a trilogy covering the World Champions and their major
contemporaries.
This first volume deals with Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine. Outstanding
in everyway, Kasparov is particularly good on the drama involved in the matches
for the world title.
Tony Miles "It's Only Me" Geoff Lawton Batsford £17.99
The sudden death Tony Miles prevented him from writing a collection of his games. Geoff Lawton stepped into the breach by compiling an admirable collection of Tony's writings and best games. The book demonstrates what a good player and entertaining writer he was. A worthy tribute!
R B Edwards M Fox J Toothill 1st September 2003