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  • American Chess Quarterly, Chessworld magazine & American Chess Journal

    American Chess Quarterly, Chessworld magazine & American Chess Journal

    July 1, 2019

    I

    I have long intended to post an article on recent short-run chess magazines.

    In this thread I will give the run and contents of the American Chess Quarterly, Chessworld magazine and the American Chess Journal. All were interesting magazines that failed for one reason or another.

    American Chess Quarterly

    Volume 1

    No. 1
    Summer 1961

    A Bust to the King’s Gambit by Bobby Fischer
    Comments on Chess Styles by Larry Evans
    Endgame Section by J. E. Peckover

    No. 2
    Fall 1961

    Advanced Combinations by Larry Evans
    The Rossolimo Variation by William Lombardy
    Automated Electronic Chess-playing Machines by Edward Lasker
    An Interesting Portrait of Herr Wilhelm Steinitz from The Westminster Papers, March 1st, 1876
    Endgame Section by J.E. Peckover

    No. 3
    Winter 1961

    International Grandmaster Jubilee Chess Tournament by Harold Lommer (Bled 1961)
    Endgame Section by J.E. Peckover
    Abracadabra Chess by Larry Evans (chess lessons for beginners)

    No. 4
    Spring 1962

    U.S. Chess Championship 1962 by Larry Evans
    Has Russia Changed Since the 1955 Chess Match?
    What an Innocuous Opening! by William Lombardy
    Endgame Section by J.E. Peckover
    Book Reviews by Prof. Kester Svendsen
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred M. Wren
    Abracadabra Chess (continued) by Larry Evans

    Volume 2

    No. 1
    Summer 1962

    International Tournament, Stockholm 1962
    New Ways in The Najdorf Sicilian by Leonard Barden
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred M. Wren
    Paul Morphy by Edward Lasker
    Endgame Section by J.E. Peckover
    U.S. Women’s Chess Tournament, New York
    My Best Game of the U.S. Championship by Abe Turner
    Candidates Tournament, Curacao, 1962
    Abracadabra Chess (continued) by Larry Evans

    No. 2
    Fall 1962

    Interview with Fischer’s Second at Curacao by Arthur Bisguier
    Candidates’ Tournament, Curacao 1962 by Arthur Bisguier
    English Opening & French Defence by William Lombardy
    Two Little-Known Exciting Games
    New Approach to the Openings by Larry Evans
    Caro-Kann Defence – Tal vs Pachman
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred M. Wren
    Chess Screwdriver by Fred M. Wren
    Gallery of endgame Composers by J.E Peckover
    Chess Olympics, Varna, 1962
    Abracadabra Chess (continued) by Larry Evans

    No. 3
    Winter 1962-3

    Varna Olympic 1062
    Sicilian Defense (Najdorf Variation) by William Lombardy
    Fischer-Filip Candidates’ Tournament by Arthur Bisguier
    Woodpusher's Scrapbook by Fred M. Wren
    Endgame Section by J.E. Peckover
    Wilhelm Steinitz
    Abracadabra Chess (continued) by Larry Evans
    Chess Challenger – Quiz

    No. 4
    Spring-Summer 1963

    World Chess Championship Match, 1963 (Botvinnik-Petrosian) by Bisguier and Evans
    Slav Defence by William Lombardy
    U.S. Championship – 3rdPlace Playoff
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred M. Wren
    Endgame Section by J.E. Peckover
    Chess and the Paperback Revolution by Kester Svendsen
    Wilhelm Steinitz
    Abracadabra Chess (continued) by Larry Evans
    Piatigorsky Cup Tournament
    Annual Index
    Chess Challenge Quiz

    (to be continued)

  • #2
    American Chess Quarterly, Chessworld magazine & American Chess Journal

    July 1, 2019

    II

    Volume 3

    No. 1
    Summer-Fall, 1963

    Piatigorsky Cup Tournament, 1963 by Evans, Lombardy, Fischer and Bisguier
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred M. Wren
    Abracadabra Chess (continued) by Larry Evans
    Chess Challenge

    No. 2
    Fall, 1963

    The Fischer Technique
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred M. Wren
    Wilhelm Steinitz (3rdin a series)
    Endgame Section by J.E. Peckover
    Abracadabra Chess (continued) by Larry Evans
    Chess Challenge
    Important Announcement – Booking simultaneous exhibitions for Bobby Fischer between February and May of 1964.

    No. 3
    Winter, 1964

    U.S. Championship, 1964
    Student Preview by William Lombardy
    Endgame Section by J. E. Peckover
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred M Wren
    Wilhelm Steinitz (4thin a series)
    Abracadabra Chess by Larry Evans
    Fischer-Reshevsky Match, 1961 by Abe Turner
    Chess Challenge

    No. 4
    Spring, 1964

    Fischer’s Clock Exhibitions
    The Other Three by Larry Evans
    The Good “Old” Boys by William Lombardy
    Talented Juniors of Yesterday
    Fischer-Reshevsky Match, 1961 by Abe Turner
    Endgame Section by J. E. Peckover
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred M. Wren
    Wilhelm Steinitz (5th in a series)
    Abracadabra Chess by Larry Evens
    Annual Index
    Chess Challenge by Dr. Richard S. Cantwell

    Volume 4

    No. 1
    July-August-September, 1964

    The 1964 Interzonal Tournament
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred M. Wren

    No. 2
    October-November-December, 1964

    1964 World Students Team Championship by William Lombardy
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred W. Wren
    Back Issues
    Reflections of a Chess Master by Abe Turner
    Endgame Section by J. E. Peckover
    Wilhelm Steinitz (6thin a series)
    Abracadabra Chess by Larry Evans
    Chess Challenge by Dr. Richard S. Cantwell

    No. 3
    January-February-March, 1965

    International Endgame Tourney by Peckover and Lommer
    Games from National Las Vegas Open, 1965
    Games from Beverwijk, 1965 and Geller-Smyslov Match
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred M. Wren
    The Bible – 10thEdition (MCO)
    Chess Challenge by Dr. Richard S. Cantwell

    No. 4
    April-May-June, 1965

    Games from Capablanca Memorial Tournament, 1964
    From the Past (Translation) by Tigran Petrosian
    Gallery of Endgame Composers by J. E. Peckover
    Woodpusher’s Scrapbook by Fred M. Wren
    Sir Galahad Rides Again by Fred M. Wren
    Annual Index
    Chess Challenge by Dr. Richard S. Cantwell

    And on the last page of No. 4, there was this announcement:

    Publisher’s Announcement

    We regret that after this issue (Volume 4, Number 4) we are discontinuing publication of the American Chess Quarterly

    Refunds will be made on the unexpired portion of subscriptions beyond the present issue unless negotiations to continue the publication of the American Chess Quarterly materialize. In this connection, serious consideration will be given to offers by responsible parties to acquire the publishing rights.

    We wish to take this opportunity to express our thanks to a loyal and devoted staff of writers who helped make the American Chess Quarterly the finest chess magazine in the United States.

    ___________

    The Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

    Date of Filing – October 1, 1964
    Title of Publication – American Chess Quarterly
    Frequency of Issue – Quarterly
    Publisher Nature Food Centres, Inc
    292 Main Street, Cambridge, Mass

    Total No. Copies Printed 5000
    Paid Circulation 2497
    Sales through agents 100
    Free Distribution 40
    Total No. of Copies Distributed 2637

    Larry Evans was the Editor-in-Chief

    __________

    It was a magazine that had many interesting features. But, the decision to publish a beginner’s guide to chess in the magazine is puzzling. How many absolute beginners are going to subscribe to a chess magazine to learn the game? How many seasoned players are going to resent a good portion of the magazine devoted to first principles?

    B.H. Wood edited and published CHESS magazine, which was aimed at all levels of players. But, he put his introduction to the game into a book instead of giving over part of his magazines to lessons. See: Easy Guide to Chess, B.H. Wood.

    Also, why publish something about Wilhelm Steinitz in almost every issue to the exclusion of all other world champions?

    (to be continued)

    Comment


    • #3
      American Chess Quarterly, Chessworld magazine & American Chess Journal

      July 1, 2019

      III

      Chessworld magazine

      Volume 1

      No. 1
      January – February, 1964

      Editorial
      My Own Worst Enemy by Pal Benko
      Shakespeare’s Checkmate by Paul Leith
      Chess Curios by Irving Chernev
      Letter to a Young Lady Contemplating Marriage to a Chessplayer by Phyllis Naylor
      How the Blind Play Chess by Jerome Tarshis
      The Life of Paul Morphy by David Lawson
      The Ten Greatest Masters in History by Bobby Fischer
      Why the Russians? By Alexander Kotov
      Stalemate by David Kasanov

      No. 2
      March – April, 1964

      Café de la Regence – a recollection
      Should We Compete with the Russians over the Chessboard? – a debate
      Greenwich Village Gambit by Lucy Neumark
      Larry Evans – an interview
      America’s Chess Champions by Walter J. Shipman
      How to Lose a World’s Championship by Dr. Mikhail Botvinnik
      Correspondence
      Buried Treasure – a special offer
      The Curse of Chess by H. G. Wells
      The Royal Game by Stefan Zweig
      About the Cover – Game of Reuben Fine vs Bobby Fischer, March 1963 informal

      No. 3
      May-June, 1964

      Correspondence
      Men
      The Natural Inferiority of Women Chessplayers by Dr. Normal Reider
      The Young Manhood of Jose Raoul Capablanca by Olga Capablanca
      Why Chess Clubs Should have Swimming Pools by Saul Rubin
      Advertisements
      My Conversations with Steinitz by Harold M. Phillips
      Three Games at Chess by Horatio Alger, Jr.
      Chess Goes to Prison…To Stay by Francis McLeod
      Instant Chess by Jerome Tarshis
      The Puzzle King Sam Loyd
      From Russia, with Love by Ian Fleming

      __________

      Sarah Cohen (better known as ”batgirl” to her readers on chess.com) is an expert on American chess magazines. On her website she says this about “Chessworld” magazine:

      "Bobby Fischer came up with the idea of making a list of his choices for the 10 greatest chess players of all time and presented it to Frank Brady, editor/owner of the shortly-lived magazine, Chessworld. The magazine folded after 3 issues because of financial trouble, but some of the content of those 3 issues are quoted even today.

      Before founding Chessworld, Brady, later the author of Bobby Fischer: Chess Prodigy, was the editor of Chess Life and financial manager of USCF.

      Fischer wrote the article with the help of Neil Hickey, the spouse of Lisa Lane (Hickey), the long-time U. S. Women's Champion."

      http://www.edochess.ca/batgirl/TopTen.html

      ___________

      Chessworld magazine
      Editor & Publisher – Frank Brady
      Art Director - Leonard Lowy
      Associate Publisher – Maxine Kalfus
      Associate Editor – Laura Conan
      Editorial Counsel – Saul Rubin
      505 Fifth Avenue, New York 10017

      An arty chess magazine, very readable.

      The prospectus appeared in an ad in Chess Review in August of 1963. It said that these features were planned:

      Do the Russians Cheat at Chess?
      Chessworld Goes to a Tournament
      The Psychoanalysis of a Chessplayer
      The Past vs the Present
      The Three “R’s” and Chess
      Blindfold Chess
      Chess in Hollywood
      Where to Play Chess
      Portrait of a Rebel (Lisa Lane)
      How to Teach a Child to Play Chess
      The Battle of Two Systems (OTB vs Correspondence)
      The Role of Memory in Playing Chess
      Pictorial Studies of Chessmen
      “I Play Chess Because..” – a survey
      How to Succeed at Chess Without Really Trying
      “1984” Revisited

      The last states “Can an IBM machine be programmed to defeat a human player? One of the country’s top mathematicians explains why it will never be possible for a “mechanical brain” to achieve championship stature.”

      Many of these never made it into print before the magazine folded.

      (to be continued)

      Comment


      • #4
        American Chess Quarterly, Chessworld magazine & American Chess Journal

        July 1, 2019

        IV

        American Chess Journal

        Volume 1

        No. 1
        December, 1992
        Cover – Bobby Fischer

        Editorial
        Anand Upsets Ivanchuk in Linares Match by Patrick Wolff
        Finding Bobby Fischer by Timothy Hanke
        Analysis – Fischer-Keres, Bled 1961 by Jonathan Yedidia
        New York 1927 by Hanon Russell
        Movies – Silence of the Pawns by Jamie Hamilton
        Books – Alekhine Renaissance by Edward Winter
        Ruy Lopez Roundup by Bruce Leverett
        The Polgar Sisters – Facts or Rumors by Christopher Chabris

        No. 2
        September, 1993
        Cover – Patrick Wolff

        Notes and Content
        The World’s Best Chess Trainer – Mark Dvoretsky by Timothy Hanke
        Chess Art in the Computer Age by Noam D. Elkies
        The mystery of Bad Bishops by Boris Gulko
        Winning the U.S. Championship by Patrick Wolff
        The Education of a Chess Anthologist by Burt Hochberg
        Movies – Searching for Bobby Fischer by Frank Brady
        Books - Mortal Games by Fred Waitzkin by Christopher Chabris
        Instant Fischer – Six Books on Fischer-Spassky by Edward Winter
        Brief Reviews

        No. 3
        December, 1995
        Cover – Adolf Anderssen

        Notes and Comment
        Analysis – The Immortal Game by Robert Hubner
        Lessons from a Single Ending, Capablanca-Alekhine, New York, 1924 by Mark Dvoretsky
        Cooks, Forks, Waiters by Daniel Edelman
        Chess Rating Systems by Mark E Glickman
        Movies – Fresh by Jamie Hamilton
        Books – End Game by Dominic Lawson by Burt Hochberg
        Bobby Fischer by Elie Agur by Fred Wilson
        Let Us Now Quote Famous Men by Stephan Gerzadowicz by Alex Dunne
        Brief Reviews

        ___________

        Winner of 24 awards from the Chess Journalists of America for its three issues, American Chess Journal (ACJ) was a unique quality paperback book/magazine hybrid featuring the best chess analysis, writing, and illustration in the world. ACJ was published from 1992-1995 and edited by Christopher Chabris, Timothy Hanke, and Patrick Wolff.
        All issues are out of print, but PDF files of the complete issues may be downloaded via the links given at:

        http://www.chabris.com/pub/acj/

        __________

        In spite of the quality – the very uncertain publishing schedule surely put off subscribers.

        Editor in Chief – Christopher Chabris
        Magazine Editor – Timothy Hanke
        Technical Editor – Patrick Wolff
        Post Office Box 382967
        Harvard Square Station
        Cambridge, MA 02238-02967

        ___________

        Three magazines of high quality, which failed for various reasons. My feeling is that for a chess magazine to succeed, you need quality articles but also an editor with the energy and talent to bring out the issues on time and have the financial backing and subscriber support to sustain publication. He must stay focussed on the needs of the readership, not putting in articles to fill space!

        Comment

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