Chess


Willard Fiske and Paul Morphy, eds. Chess Monthly, Vol. I, No. 1. January, 1857.

Members of the First American Chess Congress, 1857.

Willard Fiske. The Book of the First American Chess Congress. New York, 1859.

In 1857, while he was living in New York City, Fiske became very interested in chess, founding and editing The American Chess Monthly. Paul Morphy, the celebrated chess player, joined Fiske as associate editor. That year, sixteen chess players met in New York City to participate in the First American Chess Congress. Fiske’s account of the First American Chess Congress was one of the first books on American chess. He included in his book a history of American chess and a bibliography of literature devoted to chess. The book is dedicated to the tournament’s champion, Paul Morphy.

Interested in the 1857 championship game? You can “play it” online: http://chess.about.com/library/pal4/zbstches/blzbst03.htm


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