English Chess Forum

Obviously these are ten-a-penny now (if not in the strict financial sense) but they didn't use to be. When did the first books about individual openings, as opposed to general openings guides like MCO, actually start being published? I'm interested in finding out what was the first one:

(a) published in the UK
(b) published in English, if not the same as (a)
(c) published anywhere in any language.

My guesses are that the USSR might well have been ahead of the rest of the world in (c), and that (a) might be Hooper's Petroff Defence book. But I could be fifty years out for all I know.

All help appreciated.

Justin,

One of the first that I recall was the seminal "The Kings Gambit" allegedly by Vladimir Zak and Victor Korchoi published by BT Batsford Ltd.

Not sure if VK knew that he was an author of this work but then again it is very common for big names to allegedly author chess books.

There were also the pithy volumes published by The Chess Player, Nottingham that really were card index data dumps.

I would say that BT Batsfords were the leaders in this field in the UK and we should credit RG Wade and PBA Lamford for a great deal of work in this area.

Julius du Mont wrote two volumes of Chess Openings Illustrated, both published by G Bell & Sons: The Centre Counter (1919) and The Centre Game and Danish Gambit (1920). Sadly, I don't have either volume on my bookshelves. Perhaps he had intended to write further volumes but these did not sell well enough.

Wikipedia tells me that du Mont was also a successful piano teacher, numbering among his pupils Edna Iles, who later became the friend and champion of Nikolai Medtner. He also wrote a manual on the Lewis gun.

Blimey, nearly fifty years out anyway! I'd just been checking the British Library catalogue and I discovered that Pergamon published The Ruy Lopez - Winning Chess With 1. P-K4 in 1963. The author was one Leonard Barden. Hooper was 1967.

Korchnoi and Zak was first published in 1974. This (presumably incomplete) list of Batsford items starts at 1969.

I was just going to mention the Barden Lopez book, which I think was the first 'modern' single opening book, but you beat me to it. My erstwhile Richmond clubmate Hella Kauffmann translated it into German.

I can't think of anything earlier than du Mont in any other language, but there are others on here much more knowledgeable than I am.

It's not about an individual opening, but Steinitz's "Modern Chess Instructor" (1889) contains analysis on six selected openings: Ruy Lopez, Four Knights, Scotch, Two Knights, Petroff and Philidor.

Regarding (c) the Swedish GM Gideon Ståhlberg published one on the Queen's Gambit in Spanish during his time in Argentina, El Gambito de Dama (1941). In an issue of Tidskrift för Schack (Swedish chess magazine) from 1916, there's an advert for Leonhardt's Zur Spanischen Partie, ('On the Ruy Lopez'), no date though, but presumably published in 1915 or 1916. In an issue of the same magazine from 1911, there's a brief review of a book, or 'treatise' as it is called, on the Muzio Gambit by E. Snosko-Borowski. The snappy title, Analütische Untersuchungen über den Lean-Angriff (13.Df3-e2) ('Analytical investigations of the Lean Attack [13.Qf3-e2]'), sounds like something along the lines of the ECO monographs that started appearing some some 80 years later. However, I'm quite sure that someone like Carl Schlechter published opening monographs (whose opening analysis has quite a modern feel, by the way) before 1910, as did the Danish theoretician Dr Krause. Also, I believe Wiener Schachzeitung (the New in Chess of the prewar era) used to publish analysis of individuals opening from their magazine issues in bookform or as booklets.

And of course, for (b) The Rice Gambit (the millionaire sideline in the King's Gambit) book/booklet which date from about 1904. Mr Rice's thematic tournaments probably also were one of the first examples of 'advanced' chess in the sense that the players were allowed to consult his publication (and those of others) during play.

JustinHorton wrote:Obviously these are ten-a-penny now (if not in the strict financial sense)

I just bought Keene/Botterill's Modern Defence book off amazon for 1p. Not quite ten a penny - especially not with the 27500% mark-up for post and packaging but still a bargain.

Hm - Gruenfeld had a book on the Queens Gambit and Queens Pawn opening published in German in 1928. As I recall (not because I was alive, but because I used to own some ) there were loads of these pamphlets published around then.

First English single opening book - how about R E Robinson 1. P-KB4 published first in 1948.

Here's a photo of that 1920 book (from my own collection):

Imre Konig: Queens Indian Defence, published 1946/7 has quite a modern look to it in terms of layout.
There was a volume published in the USA (title escapes me just now) in 1888 by the Pierce brothers. The second half was a collection of essays by J.T. Pierce but the first half was ca 50 pages on what is still known as the "Pierce Gambit" (it's a line of the Vienna) by William Timbrell Pierce.
In general I would have thought the earliest monographs would have been in German. "Son of Sorrow" (1825) by Aaron Reigenbaum is apparently (I've never seen it myself) not a monograph but is an analysis of a number of counterattacking lines from Black's point of view (including, of course, the Ben-Oni).

Thanks for all answers, much appreciated. Keep 'em coming.

John Upham wrote:Justin,

One of the first that I recall was the seminal "The Kings Gambit" allegedly by Vladimir Zak and Victor Korchoi published by BT Batsford Ltd.

Not sure if VK knew that he was an author of this work but then again it is very common for big names to allegedly author chess books.

There were also the pithy volumes published by The Chess Player, Nottingham that really were card index data dumps.

I would say that BT Batsfords were the leaders in this field in the UK and we should credit RG Wade and PBA Lamford for a great deal of work in this area.

I keep checking on Ebay for that - as a King’s gambit player I’m told Zak Korchoi’s book that is still relevant - sadly I think it goes for about 50 quid and I’m not that curious to see it - Plus it will be in descriptive so it’ll take a while for me to read it

I've got it in algebraic. But I'm afraid it's not for sale.

Jon Mahony wrote:I keep checking on Ebay for that - as a King’s gambit player I’m told Zak Korchoi’s book that is still relevant - sadly I think it goes for about 50 quid and I’m not that curious to see it

I had this in algebraic too but I'm afraid my copy is not for sale either ... because i sold it... for a pound.

Having read your estimate of current value I'm off to stab myself in the eye with a fork.


J