The English Chess Federation has announced the shortlist of four books for its highly prestigious Book of the Year award, and Tim Harding’s book, with much of interest to Irish chess history, has very deservedly been selected as one of the candidates.
The book is based on his doctoral dissertation, though it’s vastly better written and more entertaining than the typical thesis–trust me on this–with a balanced mix of chess and history. Though just one aspect of the book, it gives a very detailed look at Irish chess in general in the 19th century, a time in which Ireland was much closer to the centre of the chess world than it is now, since there was a strong overlap between correspondence and over-the-board chess at that time, with players, organisers, clubs, and columns in common. The coverage is excellent: take any topic at random that you happen to be familiar with, and you’ll find that there is much new information from hard-to-find sources. Such was my experience anyway.
A very absorbing read and highly recommended.
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