The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

[Wayne Komer]

In the 60s the two best ways for me to get chess books in Russian was to buy them by mail from The British Chess Magazine, which had some sort of special arrangement with the Russians or to purchase them from Troyka Ltd.

This was a shop selling Russian gifts, magazines and books at 799A College Street (near Ossington Ave) in Toronto.

The chess magazines were Shahmaty v SSSR, Shahmaty Bulletin and Tal’s magazine SAHS. They had first class chess books for only a couple of dollars. My happiest book purchase there was Sokolsky’s Shahmatny Debyut, which taught openings that were current. (But then I was reading Dover reprints with outdated games..) I also got the book on his eponymous opening 1.b2 – b4 but never had the courage to use it.

In those days, one learned the Cyrillic alphabet, played the games over and puzzled out the annotations. Before the Chess Informant and the Internet, that was the best way to keep current with grandmaster practice.

I remember one or two visiting players at the Hart House Chess Club saying that they had stopped by the Troyka to pick up some chess stuff before coming on campus.

As far as I can ascertain, Troyka was established in 1958. Before, it was Vestinik Publishing. The shop moved a number of years ago and the College Street location is under renovation now. As far as I know you cannot get chess material at the 4400 Dufferin Street locale now.

Because of the Cold War, when I came out of the Troyka, I always felt that the Mounties were taking pictures of people leaving the shop and that one day I would have a visit from an officer asking me if I had communist sympathies. Never happened though.

Does anyone else have memories of the Troyka? Were there similar shops in Montreal or Vancouver then?

[Gordon Taylor]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

I lived in Toronto for only three years (1986-89), so before then I dealt with Troyka only for my Russian Magazine subscriptions ("64" and Shakhmatny Bulletin). Both mags were terrific in terms of content and price. "64" for example cost under $10 a year but provided 52 issues via airmail ! "64" for those who never received it, was just a single sheet of newsprint folded so that a couple of slices with a sharp knife along the folds yielded a sixteen page magazine. Upon receiving an issue I would first warm up the iron so as to flatten out the wrinkles, and then got to the chessboard and played through every game. During my three years in Toronto I visited Troyka as often as convenient since you never knew what might come in. I think I bought Kasparov's "Test of Time" there after David Lavin told me it had come in, and Archakov and Gik's "Shakhmatny Kvartety", a little gem of a book having 444 different chess compositions using only four pieces. The Kasparov book was really expensive ($6.50), the Archakov and Gik book just $2.50, which was a typical price for Soviet literature in those days.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

I lived in Toronto for only three years (1986-89), so before then I dealt with Troyka only for my Russian Magazine subscriptions ("64" and Shakhmatny Bulletin). Both mags were terrific in terms of content and price. "64" for example cost under $10 a year but provided 52 issues via airmail ! "64" for those who never received it, was just a single sheet of newsprint folded so that a couple of slices with a sharp knife along the folds yielded a sixteen page magazine.

Strange. In 1986-1989 period the "64" was a normal magazine with a semi-hard cover (thicker than normal pages), and it was 24 issues. What you describe was printed early maybe till 1981 or 1979. At least it was like that for CCCP.

At one moment it was not possible to subscribe to "64" in CCCP. Only buy

[Gordon Taylor]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

Right you are. I'm now looking at my archive box of old "64". For 1979 I have 50 issues (#37 and #41 missing). In 1980 it transformed into a bi-monthly and I have all 24 issues. The "iron and slice" references are to the weekly version ("so before then..."), i.e. long before I lived in Toronto.

[Dan Scoones]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

I visited Troyka in 1976 and again in 1981. The first time around I bought a number of Russian books in two genres -- chess and literature. At the time there was nothing quite like Troyka on the West Coast (although the old People's Co-op Bookstore in Vancouver did carry a few chess books plus the magazines Шахматы в СССР and Шахматный Бюллетень). I also picked up a Russian Scrabble set -- or скребл in Cyrillic -- which I still have to this day (although, strangely enough, none of my Scrabble friends will play with me). I also remember a small table in the front of the Troyka store that read на этом столе бесплатно -- "this stuff is free."

[Gary Ruben]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

I used to subscribe to a chess newspaper in Russian. Can't recall what it was named but it came on yellowish paper. Kept them for a few year and dumped them when the paper started stinking.

However, since I played correspondence chess with players who lived in Russia I could trade for stuff. With one man we traded stamps. He was a stamp collector. He used to send me envelopes stuffed with stamps and, of course, the move. I felt certain Russia issued a stamp for every day of the year.

Sometimes the envelope would be slit neatly across the top. Then a seal was put over it saying, in English, it was found damaged in the mail, or something along that line. Nothing was ever missing as far as I knew.

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

I subscribed to Shakhmatny Bulletin (or was it Shakhmatny v SSSR?) in the 1970's - I think it was mailed from the Soviet Union - it came in a flimsy paper envelope 6-8 weeks after the issue date. Very little text, so it was easy to play over the dozens of bare game scores after quickly learning how to decipher the Cyrillic characters for the player names, and for "Black/White resigns" and "Draw".

Montreal had no equivalent of Troika, but the Alekhine CC met several times weekly (1969-1976) in the rooms of an organization called the "Quebec-USSR Cultural Society" (or "Societé culturelle Québec-URSS"). It was in three different locations during that time period, and always had an extensive library. No chess books that I could find - mostly politically-oriented books that promoted Communism (in English and French).

[Kerry Liles]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

In the 60s the two best ways for me to get chess books in Russian was to buy them by mail from The British Chess Magazine, which had some sort of special arrangement with the Russians or to purchase them from Troyka Ltd.

This was a shop selling Russian gifts, magazines and books at 799A College Street (near Ossington Ave) in Toronto.

The chess magazines were Shahmaty v SSSR, Shahmaty Bulletin and Tal’s magazine SAHS. They had first class chess books for only a couple of dollars. My happiest book purchase there was Sokolsky’s Shahmatny Debyut, which taught openings that were current. (But then I was reading Dover reprints with outdated games..) I also got the book on his eponymous opening 1.b2 – b4 but never had the courage to use it.

In those days, one learned the Cyrillic alphabet, played the games over and puzzled out the annotations. Before the Chess Informant and the Internet, that was the best way to keep current with grandmaster practice.

I remember one or two visiting players at the Hart House Chess Club saying that they had stopped by the Troyka to pick up some chess stuff before coming on campus.

As far as I can ascertain, Troyka was established in 1958. Before, it was Vestinik Publishing. The shop moved a number of years ago and the College Street location is under renovation now. As far as I know you cannot get chess material at the 4400 Dufferin Street locale now.

Because of the Cold War, when I came out of the Troyka, I always felt that the Mounties were taking pictures of people leaving the shop and that one day I would have a visit from an officer asking me if I had communist sympathies. Never happened though.

Does anyone else have memories of the Troyka? Were there similar shops in Montreal or Vancouver then?

I used to visit Troyka on a regular basis too and mostly bought Shakmati Bulletin magazine (I have a few issues left). My rule of thumb was to play all the games that HAD a diagram first - the editors always seemed to put a diagram right before a spectacular move or continuation - no diagram meant the game was rather "routine"...

I took a reading and translating scientific Russian class in first (and only) year of University mostly so I could try to understand the articles in S.B. I remember the prof fancied himself as a player - he offered me double or nothing for my C+ mark and I ended up with B+ (he wasn't as good as he thought).

Great memories of that store. There are a few stores (as I believe) in Toronto that have Russian books - I visited one Erudit(Эрудит) - (a small version of the main store) at Bathurst and Finch? It was downstairs... all the usual books but they had a bunch of chess books and I bought a book of studies for about $5. Lots of mostly vanilla chess books when I checked a year ago. Maybe the main store has better?

http://www.eruditonline.com/

(I think sheppard and bathurst) - northwest corner?

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

I subscribed to Shakhmatny Bulletin (or was it Shakhmatny v SSSR?) in the 1970's - I think it was mailed from the Soviet Union - it came in a flimsy paper envelope 6-8 weeks after the issue date. Very little text, so it was easy to play over the dozens of bare game scores after quickly learning how to decipher the Cyrillic characters for the player names, and for "Black/White resigns" and "Draw".

Per your description it was Shakhmatny Bulletin. Chess in SSSR had more text.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

Per your description it was Shakhmatny Bulletin. Chess in SSSR had more text.

Is that the one that came in a newspaper format on yellowed paper?

Great source of theory.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

Is that the one that came in a newspaper format on yellowed paper?

Great source of theory.

Newspaper format was for old "64" and it had more casual texts. Bulletins had a lot of theory articles and reviews.
All chess magazines were on a yellowing paper.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

I visited one Erudit(Эрудит) - (a small version of the main store) at Bathurst and Finch? It was downstairs... all the usual books but they had a bunch of chess books and I bought a book of studies for about $5. Lots of mostly vanilla chess books when I checked a year ago. Maybe the main store has better?

(I think sheppard and bathurst) - northwest corner?

Finch and Bathurst is on the ground level.
Sheppard and Bathurst is downstairs. It sells used ones. I never saw that they would restock with new materials :D

[Gary Ruben]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

Newspaper format was for old "64" and it had more casual texts. Bulletins had a lot of theory articles and reviews.
All chess magazines were on a yellowing paper.

I guess it was probably "64" but for some reason can't recall the name. I also seem to recall it came in the mail once a week.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

on the same note:
Was it possible to get Shachmaty from the city of Tal aka Ryga, Latvia? It had similar format as CFC bulletin, later it changed to a bigger format.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: The Troyka Bookstore, Toronto

on the same note:
Was it possible to get Shachmaty from the city of Tal aka Ryga, Latvia? It had similar format as CFC bulletin, later it changed to a bigger format.

I can't recall that one. I gave my old magazines away. The last of them a couple of years ago. I used to get CC magazines from around the world by exchanging with other editors. For years while I contributed results for publication in Fernschach they sent me a copy.

A decent magazine was Chess Mail which was done by Tim Harding. I used to subscribe to that.